Naruto: Shadows of the Mind
by Vaanarash
Summary: Sarutobi had always had the best of intentions when he made his decisions concerning Naruto. But you know what they say about the road to Hell and intentions. Now, with unseen enemies and shadowy secrets all around him, Naruto must choose his path and live his life his way. No matter the cost. Gray Naruto, Sort of Naru/FemHaku, Naru/? no harem, no yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note**

Special thanks to my beta Sakiku Torakak for her AMAZING job on this chapter. Without her advice this chapter would barely be half of what it is now. On another note, check out my new story, Naruto: the Reckoning. I also have new ideas that I'll either put up as a challenge or try it myself in the future, so check my profile for them. All reviews/criticisms are welcome. Without further ado, I give you chapter one of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind

This will be AU (obviously) and Naruto will be two years older than Canon. Which means that the Kyuubi attack will be two years earlier. Everything else should still happen around the same time as in Canon.

* * *

_'THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**CHAPTER ONE**

_October 10: Konohagakure no Sato_

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked down at the small bundle in his arms. _'Naruto, what kind of life will you live?'_ the aged Kage wondered before frowning regretfully. _'Such a heavy burden should not fall to one so young.'_ Still lost in his thoughts, he moved aside a portion of the blanket to gaze at the seal upon the infant's stomach.

_'What an unbelievable seal array…Minato, you truly were a genius.'_ Not for the first time that night, he was beset by guilt and regret. Such a talented and promising man shouldn't have died so young. Especially not when an old man such as himself could have easily died in his place. _'Why, Minato? Why didn't you have me perform the sealing? Especially when your Hiraishin made it so I was literally an instant away.'_ He sighed tiredly as he looked away from the child and out over the village of Konoha.

Not two days ago, the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune, a creature so powerful it was more a natural disaster than a fox, had driven the village to the brink of destruction. Nothing the shinobi of mighty Konoha tried had been able to stop the great beast. In fact, Sarutobi knew that the only reason the ninja had managed to stall the great fox at all was that the Kyuubi had been having too much fun butchering them. He shivered as he thought of the slaughter that had been unleashed on the shinobi of his village. He had seen entire _wars_ that were less brutal. Even more disturbing, was that despite witnessing their final moments himself, neither Sarutobi nor anyone else alive knew what the hell had caused the attack. The Kyuubi was supposed to be safely contained within Kushina, and the Yondaime himself was ensuring the Bijuu didn't escape while Kushina was giving birth. They'd even left the village in secret to do so, and yet somehow the Kyuubi had not only escaped, it had appeared right in the heart of Konoha.

Shaking off the troubling thoughts, he looked down at Naruto once again, sighing quietly in frustration while being careful not to awaken the sleeping child. It had been a difficult decision to inform the council of Naruto and his burden, a decision that he was already regretting.

Given the choice, Sarutobi would have much preferred to keep everything about Naruto a secret, but he had been Hokage too long not to be wary of the consequences of others learning of Naruto on their own and jumping to conclusions, especially Danzo. There was no telling how badly people would react to that, especially if something happened to Sarutobi, who wasn't a young man anymore. So it informing the council seemed to be the best option at the time. _'Though,' _he thought bitterly,_ 'it's hard to imagine a reaction worse than the one from the council.'_

* * *

**Flashback**

Looking around the room Sarutobi took in the various members that made up both sides of the Council. First off there were two of the three village Elders, his former teammates Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado. The final Elder was Danzo, his old friend and rival for the title of Sandaime Hokage and the leader of the supposedly disbanded "Root" Anbu program. _'I'll have to be careful with him here,'_ he reminded himself. _'Danzo will be quick to try to gain access to Naruto and he's never been above disobeying me if he believed it was necessary for the betterment of Konoha.'_

Then there were the Heads of the major clans. Fugaku Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan as well as the commander of the Konoha Military Police, was sitting with his arms crossed between Inoichi and a stony-faced Tsume. Inoichi was the head of the Yamanaka clan and a member of the infamous Ino-Shika-Cho trio -possibly the most famous team from Konoha since the Sannin. Tsume was sitting in as the acting head of the Inuzuka clan since her mother-in law had been killed and her husband Teiru had taken crippling injuries fighting off the Kyuubi.

Sitting to Inoichi's left were Shikaku and Chouza, the heads of the Nara and Akimichi clans respectively. They were also the other two members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and semi-traditional allies of his own Sarutobi clan. Rounding out the major clans were Murakumo Kurama, Hiashi Hyuuga, and Shibi Aburame. With Tsunade absent, the Senju clan seat was left empty.

There were also a number of minor clan heads to round out the shinobi portion of the council. Most of the individual Jounin who had been members only days ago were now dead, including the Jounin Commander.

The civilian council was composed mostly of wealthy citizens and well off merchants, though there were a handful of doctors, teachers, shop owners, and even a couple of restaurant owners as well. Their main purpose being to keep the civilian portion of Konoha from being _completely_ forgotten by Sarutobi and his advisors.

Clearing his throat Sarutobi stood and called the meeting to order. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I know this is a painful and trying day for all of us, but we must persevere for the good of our village." Sarutobi ran his gaze over the rather simple room considering the matters that were often discussed here. Plain unadorned walls broken only by two double doors on opposite sides of the room surrounded two long tables that ran the length of the room. There was also a smaller table sitting between the heads of the two tables that seated him and his two former teammates.

"As most of you are aware, the Yondaime was able to defeat the Kyuubi at the cost of his own life." Seeing the various council members nodding he continued his explanation. "What none of you know is exactly _how_ he defeated it." That got their attention. A jutsu that could kill any of the Bijuu, let alone the greatest of them would be worth more than an entire country. Even if the Bijuu would eventually return, and at the cost of the user's life.

Before they could continue down that path, Sarutobi continued, crushing some of their hopes of an ultimate jutsu. "He used a forbidden technique combined with a number of Fuuinjutsu to seal the Kyuubi away. This also required a child to act as the prison. His last wish was that the child he chose to be the prison be seen as a hero of this village." Finishing his explanation, Sarutobi sat down and waited for the council's reaction.

He had been prepared for fear, but the outright hysteria that gripped even some of the shinobi veterans on the council caught him completely off guard. Shouts of anger and even shrieks of fear came from every corner of the room, though the latter came mainly from the civilian members. Only Shibi of the Aburame clan remained completely calm, though it was hard to tell with him. Even the normally lazy and uncaring Shikaku, head of the Nara clan, jumped to his feet.

It took nearly a quarter of an hour for the cacophony to settle and order to be restored in the room before the meeting could continue.

While this was happening, Sarutobi began to observe the council to try to predict their reactions once they calmed down. The civilians were in an uproar, despite the fact that not _one_ of them had even _seen_ the Kyuubi. Luckily, in this matter at least, they would probably look to the shinobi to come up with a "solution".

Looking to the major clan heads once again, he noticed that both Shibi and Hiashi had remained sitting side by side with impassive looks on their faces as they listened to the many conversations going on around them. _'You know...sometimes I think those two are in some kind of competition to see who can be the most impassive.'_ Only the single bead of sweat traveling down Hiashi's face let him know that the Hyuuga was indeed worried. Shibi on the other hand, Sarutobi couldn't begin to guess what he was thinking without getting close enough to be able to hear his bugs -as that was one of the few ways of observing an Aburame's emotions.

From there he looked over at Shikaku who was in a hushed conversation with Inoichi and Chouza despite scanning the room and faces of the others from time to time. Seeing Sarutobi watching, Shikaku met his eyes and nodded respectfully before turning back to his teammates. _'Ah...so you understand what this meeting is really about...clever as always Shikaku.'_ Sarutobi understood that Shikaku's nod meant that he knew that Sarutobi had no intention of letting the council make any real decision concerning Naruto. Oh, he'd listen to their concerns and complaints, but Sarutobi certainly didn't intend to actually agree to them. It was for that reason the Nara was conferring solely with Inoichi and Chouza, to warn them not to stand against the Hokage and to just keep their opinions to themselves. Maybe the Nara head would make a good candidate for the position of Jounin Commander?

One glance at a scowling Fugaku let Sarutobi know his opinion, _'Although, Fugaku _is_ responsible for maintaining security and law and order within the village walls. I suppose it's only natural that having a Jinchuuriki in the village would upset him. Particularly the one that had just leveled a good portion of Konoha.'_

Finishing his sweep of the room he noticed Tsume was also still in her seat with her fists clenched on the table, though her face showed some conflicting emotions ranging from anger to pity to hatred, even a bit of guilt.

Sarutobi felt for her, as she was likely still dealing with her both her mother-in law's death and her husband's injuries and Naruto was probably at the center of her storm of emotions. God knows, Sarutobi had yet to deal with his _own_ pain at the loss of his beloved Biwako, so he understood exactly what the Inuzuka must be feeling.

Finally there was Danzo himself, still sitting alone. Sarutobi knew Danzo was doing exactly what he was, observing the others to see what he could use to his advantage, who he'd have to sway or intimidate, and how he could go about doing it. Truly, the man was like a mirror opposite of himself at times.

Before he could think further on that thought however, Homura and Koharu began calling for order among the room's occupants, who eventually began to return to their seats. After a few minutes, the last few council members seated themselves and the meeting continued. It was then that things truly started to go downhill.

A merchant named Kisabi Takeda from the civilian portion of the council was the first to speak up, jumping to his feet as he did so. "Hokage-sama, why is the monster even still alive?"

Kouta Zuki, the shinobi representing the small and relatively new Zuki clan stood as well. "If it's in a child, we can kill it for good, correct?" Scattered murmurs of approval greeted this question.

"Don't be a fool," came from a rather surprising source, though his next words quickly explained his reasoning. "The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is crucial to maintaining the balance of power between the Hidden Villages. Besides, think of the boy's potential. With the proper training he could become our greatest protector. With the power of the Kyuubi under our control we could actually tip the balance of power our way once and for all, and crush all of our enemies. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that this child could bring about an era of unrivaled peace and prosperity for our village." Danzo spoke passionately despite the injuries he himself had suffered at the hand of the Kyuubi. Such passion in the face of his own loss only gave his words even more weight.

This suggestion brought more murmurs until Sarutobi crushed the idea before it could truly take root. "No." All talk ceased as Danzo returned to his seat. "He is a hero and we owe it to him to allow him to live as normal a life as possible."

Fugaku rose from his chair immediately, a look of complete outrage and disbelief painted across his face. "Are you insane!" This drew a handful of gasps from some of the civilians as Fugaku not only shouted at the Shinobi no Kami, but what he said could be taken as a direct insult. "You suggest we just let that thing roam freely in our village! What if the seal fails or the child loses control? We'd never be able to evacuate the civilians in time, nor try to contain the damage! If you insist on keeping it, you must send the child somewhere else, like Training Area 44, or some other secure, yet isolated and remote location."

Sarutobi's gaze hardened as he struggled briefly to keep his killing intent from leaking out. "His name is Naruto and he is no more a threat than the man who sealed the Kyuubi within him, or Mito-sama before him."

Kisabi, who had remained standing, could no longer contain himself as he cried out in rage, "We should kill it now while we still can!"

Before Sarutobi could respond, Shibi Aburame- perhaps the only person who had, so far anyway, kept at least his face calm- stated in a simple monotone. "Killing the child will not kill the creature within him."

"Shibi is correct; killing the infant will only release the Kyuubi once more." Hiashi Hyuuga nodded his head in agreement. "Was that not the reason the beast was transferred to a new host when Mito Senju-sama neared the end of her life? We dare not kill him when doing so would only lead to _more_ destruction."

Danzo rose to speak once more, probably to state something about how his training methods could grant them control over Naruto and the Kyuubi, but Sarutobi beat him to it. "Enough." The council silenced and looked to him once again. "This council has already gone far beyond what I called it for. I've already made my decision on this matter." Fugaku, Danzo, Kisabi, and several others began to protest, only to be cut them off yet again. "I only informed you as a courtesy, not to ask your opinions on this. However, I must say I am very disappointed in many of you for reacting in such a way. The majority of you have children or even grandchildren, who the Yondaime could have easily used as Kyuubi's prison instead of choosing an orphan." Sarutobi felt there was no reason to inform them of Naruto's heritage just yet. After all, without his parents to protect him, it wouldn't take long for someone or other to attempt to kidnap or assassinate him or for one clan or the other to try to pull him into their political intrigues. Especially when Sarutobi had so few resources to protect the boy from such a threat. No, it would be best to wait until he was older and Sarutobi could spare the shinobi necessary to protect him from foreign threats, before revealing that tidbit of information. "Would you be so eager to see your own child dead, or raised in isolation?" He finished with a glare at the council.

Despite his words, many of the council still muttered angrily. Seeing this, Sarutobi moved to try and ensure Naruto's safety and just as importantly, the secrecy of his existence. "From this point on all information on the Kyuubi's defeat, as well as Naruto's role in it, is an S class secret. If anyone asks, the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi and died in the process; revealing the truth is punishable by death, as is revealing the identity of the child." Again, some members of the council began to protest only to be silenced by Sarutobi's killer intent. "Do _not_ test me on this. All that will come of it is your deaths." The council as a whole stiffened at such a blatant threat, but no one dared to speak out. After all, while things might get a little heated in their discussions, the members of the council understood full well that they had _no_ authority whatsoever. No matter how much they might _disagree_, they knew that their place was to give advice when asked for, _not _orders.

Looking around the room Sarutobi sighed before speaking again. "Dismissed."

**End Flashback**

* * *

Yes, Sarutobi greatly regretted his decision to inform the council about Naruto. Barely an hour after he had dismissed them, a number of civilian members as well as a handful of the minor clan heads had immediately begun to spread word about Naruto and the Kyuubi, no doubt in an attempt to force him to concede to their wishes.

A foolish move on their parts.

Sarutobi's retribution had been swift and without mercy. More than half a dozen civilians and no less than five shinobi council members had been executed immediately after. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. While no other members of the council had been connected to the information leak, and almost no one else in the village would admit to knowing about Naruto let alone draw attention to themselves by calling for his death or banishment, it had been guaranteed that the whole of the village would soon learn about the sealing. And from there, it would only be a matter of time before the other Hidden Villages learned of it as well, which forced Sarutobi to take more...extreme measures to prevent it.

Attempting to lessen the damage in any way he could, the Hokage had been left with no choice but to both inform the rest of the population and to raise the security level on all the information to SS rank. When he had given his warning to the gathered villagers and shinobi, Sarutobi had been certain to make sure they understood the full consequences of breaking his new decree.

* * *

**Flashback**

"If any of the other Hidden Villages were to learn of our situation, they would not hesitate to take advantage of it," he concluded as he sent a steely gaze over the assembled village. "So allow me to make myself _perfectly_ clear on this matter. You will not tell your children or _anyone_ else who does not know. I do not care if they are in the hospital receiving treatment or out of the village on missions, nor if they immigrate to Konoha in the future. You are_ not_ to speak of it. _Ever_." At this point, Sarutobi's visage hardened, and he began to radiate just enough killer intent to remind everyone why he was called the Shinobi no Kami.

"No one, other than myself or the child when I choose to inform him, is to reveal any information about him, or anything about the Kyuubi's defeat other than that the Yondaime gave his life to kill it, to anyone. If anyone breaks this law, they, along with their immediate family, as well as whomever they told, and their immediate family will be executed." Here his killing intent skyrocketed before disappearing. "You are dismissed."

As he walked away, he briefly wondered which had made the bigger impact, his impressive killing intent or the row of dozen severed heads that had once belonged to the council members who had disobeyed him, which were impaled on pikes behind him.

Hopefully, they would take his words to heart. Konoha really couldn't afford to have him execute anymore shinobi, any more than they could afford teams of foreign shinobi infiltrating Konoha in an attempt to kidnap Naruto.

**End Flashback**

* * *

Sighing once again, Sarutobi reached for his trusty pipe and began trying to stuff it with tobacco one handed. Just as he succeeded, a knock came at the door.

"Enter," he called wearily as he raised his pipe to his mouth and attempted to light it.

A young rookie Chuunin named Kurenai Yuuhi limped into the room with an armful of reports and stated tiredly. "I have some more reports for you to look over, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi recognized her as a temporary secretary that had been working in the Tower while waiting for a leg injury she received in the last Chuunin Exams to heal. He had seen her quite often as even though he had retired he had still come in almost every day to help his successor get used to the job. Of course, he also remembered when she had been a freshly graduated Genin excited about getting her first mission, but still trying to act professional in front of her leader. He couldn't help but think, _'Getting old sucks.'_ The Hokage sighed as he gestured vaguely towards his hardwood desk that was almost as old as he was- having belonged to his predecessors- and said in a grandfatherly tone, "Thank you Kurenai-san, just put them anywhere."

* * *

"Yes Hokage-sama," replied Kurenai as she approached the Hokage's desk. However, as she drew near and set the stack of papers down in one of the few clear spaces on the crowded table, she realized just what it was that the Hokage cradled in his arm.

Kurenai's crimson eyes widened in surprise at the sight before they narrowed in anger when she took note of what occupied the Hokage's other hand. "Hokage-sama!" she snapped indignantly. "What on earth are you doing!?"

The Hokage looked up at her in surprise for her sudden outburst as he removed his pipe from his mouth and blinked owlishly up at her. As he did this, his hand seemed to unconsciously drift closer to the newly awakened child, who blindly flailed one hand up to the object in the Hokage's hand.

Kurenai's arms whipped forward and snatched the infant from her surprised leader's arms, then quickly moving to a nearby open window.

The Hokage jumped to his feet and moved to follow her before she glared at him and snapped, "I can't believe you could be so irresponsible, Hokage-sama!" The Hokage looked at her in confusion -which unknown to Kurenai was the only thing that saved her life- as she continued angrily. "A man of your age and status should know better than to smoke around an infant!"

The Hokage looked even more surprised for a moment, before he smiled widely of all things. This of course did nothing to soothe an irate Kurenai, who never noticed the Anbu in the shadows above the window who was just a fraction of a second away from using the ninja wire in his hands to end her life. She also missed Sarutobi's subtle signal causing said arms to recede back into the shadows, while she continued to scold him. "What if he burnt his hand or some embers fell on him? Not to mention second hand-smoke!"

The Hokage gave a sheepish chuckle at this, before he spoke in that grandfatherly tone he was so well known for. "My apologies Kurenai-san, I've been so busy it slipped my mind- not that that is a very good excuse of course."

It was then that Kurenai remembered just who she was scolding, before her face turned red as she began stammering an apology. "For-forgive me Hokage-sa-sama, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that." She bowed as well as she could while holding a baby, who was becoming more and more fidgety.

* * *

Sarutobi chuckled as he looked at the suddenly blushing and nervous kunoichi who cradled young Naruto. It warmed his heart to see someone react in such a positive way when it came to Naruto's health. It also made him glad he had been as tired and off guard as he was. Otherwise he might have killed the well-meaning Chuunin without understanding her intentions.

"It's quite alright Kurenai-san, you were only looking out for the welfare of young Naruto and for that you have my heartfelt thanks."

Before Kurenai could respond, little Naruto started crying loudly. She began to rock him while making hushing sounds.

Sarutobi smiled at the little domestic scene, before he spoke again. "It sounds like little Naruto is hungry again." He then looked around his office for the bottle he had prepared earlier. Finding it among his paperwork, he tiredly moved to take Naruto back from Kurenai.

However when he reached out for him, Kurenai bit her lip and nervously offered, "I can feed him for now, Hokage-sama. I'm sure you would like a moment of peace, perhaps to finish smoking your pipe?"

Sarutobi's eyes narrowed imperceptibly as he read the Chuunin's body language, trying to determine if she might be a threat to Naruto after all. Seeing only an earnest young girl, Sarutobi nodded his assent before handing the bottle over to the kunoichi.

On his way out, Sarutobi subtly signaled to the Tori masked Anbu hidden in the shadows above Kurenai, the wire that he was about to use to garrote her before Sarutobi stopped him still held in his hands. His message was perfectly clear. If it looked like she intended to harm Naruto…kill her.

* * *

Kurenai smiled gently as she looked down at the blond drinking eagerly in her arms. She had of course heard all about just who and what the infant was; however, she just could not associate the adorable child with the Demon Fox many were accusing him of being. _'He's a lot better behaved than some of those brats I had to baby sit during all those D rank missions.'_ She thought to herself with a smile.

When he finished his bottle, Kurenai pulled down his blanket a bit to examine him more closely. On the rare occasions that he opened his eyes, she could see that he had sky blue eyes with slit pupils. Eyes that appeared to be filled with curiosity that seemed to look right into her soul, and when his lips moved into what might have been a smile the weight of the world just seemed to lighten… and those birthmarks! They were so cute! Feeling a slight tug on one of her fingers, she looked to see Naruto had wrapped his tiny hand around her index finger, tugging on it curiously. It was at that moment that Naruto yawned sleepily. No longer able to resist, Kurenai let out a quiet squeal and began speaking nonsensical baby talk to the sleepy child.

Once Kurenai calmed down from her snuggle fest with Naruto, she began gently rocking him again until he dropped back off to sleep.

As Kurenai was busy with her baby talk, a young Tatsu masked Anbu in the room turned to his Tori masked Captain and began signaling to his superior, 'What is she doing?' His superior simply signed back, 'Don't worry about it, it's a chick thing so there is no understanding it.' Both Anbu felt a chill run through them as the lone female of their detail glared at them. They quickly returned to their positions with Kurenai still completely unaware of their shadowy presence.

* * *

It was a heartwarming sight for Sarutobi when he reentered the room to find Kurenai rocking a sleeping Naruto. A quick and discreet check with his Anbu guards confirmed that everything was fine, though two of them seemed oddly shaken…and why was Tori looking everywhere but at Hebi?

Gently clearing his throat to get her attention, Sarutobi motioned for Kurenai to hand him Naruto, which she did, albeit a tad reluctantly.

"Thank you for watching him, Kurenai-chan." He said quietly so as not to disturb Naruto. He carefully retook his seat and sighed as he glanced at the reports he had yet to look over.

Attempting to put them off just a little longer, he addressed Kurenai again, "Is there anything else you need?"

He watched as Kurenai bit her lip somewhat nervously, before she finally spoke hesitantly, "Hokage-sama… if I may ask you a question?" Curious, Sarutobi agreed to her request with a nod.

"Well… it's just that… what are you planning to do with Naruto now?"

Sarutobi sighed at this question, one of many he had considered in the past hour. His original plan had been simple enough. With Naruto's identity as the third Jinchuuriki known only to a few, and his identity as Minato's child known to fewer still, it would have been child's play to hide him by adopting the boy as an example to the rest of the village. It wouldn't appear strange to any outsiders in the wake of the Kyuubi's attack. God knew, there were plenty of new orphans in need of new home and families.

That was no longer an option sadly, thanks to the treasonous actions of a handful of scared, angry, mourning fools. If he took Naruto in now, the entire village would know within days. No, Naruto would find no peace with Sarutobi's clan, and he simply didn't have the shinobi necessary protect him from inside _or_ outside threats if he was out in the open like that. However, he _could_ still hide Naruto in obscurity for a time, if he was willing to ensure that the child was kept out of sight in one of Konoha's several orphanages. It would be years before the boy was old enough to begin to wander on his own, and even then he was likely to stay with the other children, who would provide him with some further anonymity and he would be watched by the orphanage caretakers. In that case, he would only need a handful of Anbu to watch over the child, and by the time Naruto started heading out alone, the village may have come to...not forgive perhaps, but certainly their anger would be dulled by then. And if not, Sarutobi _should_ have been able to replenish his shinobi ranks by then, enough to increase Naruto's Anbu guard if necessary. The question of when he would be able to reveal the boy's heritage was one he couldn't answer yet.

Seeing the young kunoichi still waiting, he answered vaguely. "For the next few months I will care for him. Then, when things have calmed down somewhat, he will be placed in an orphanage and eventually, I hope he will be adopted within a few years. Other than that I have no plans for him."

Seeing the uneasy look on the kunoichi's face and seeing an opportunity to further test the young girl, Sarutobi smiled and reassured her. "Don't worry, I plan to have an Anbu watch him at all times. I will not allow him to be harmed."

Nodding, Kurenai stood at attention and said, "By your leave, Hokage-sama?" Once Sarutobi nodded, she leaned in close and planted a soft kiss on Naruto's forehead before saying, "Goodnight Naruto-chan, and sweet dreams." She then straightened, bowed respectfully to Sarutobi, and left the room.

Once she was gone, Sarutobi began to shift through the latest reports on his desk, while thinking on another problem concerning little Naruto. The child had yet to have a checkup, both because the hospital was currently all but overwhelmed by the many casualties from the attack –it had even been necessary to set up satellite clinics and field hospitals in order to accommodate all of the wounded on top of the normal day to day operations- and because many of the doctors he'd asked were refusing to have anything to do with him. Although, to be fair, most of them didn't even bother to listen to Sarutobi' request beyond, "a newborn's checkup" before somewhat angrily pointing out that they didn't have the time to waste on something so relatively trivial. Only a few actually refused because of who and what Naruto was.

Sarutobi would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, but emotions were still running high in the village, and would likely continue to do so for weeks to come. So, he could understand their position as well, even if he didn't agree. Coincidentally, that was one of the reasons why he kept Naruto with him rather than at the hospital.

Thinking it over he decided to see if he could track down his old student, Tsunade. _'While it would be nice if she returned, I doubt I can convince her to set foot in Konoha again.'_ He sighed, something he seemed to be doing a lot tonight. _'It might take a little convincing, but I'm sure she would at least be willing to perform a checkup or two on little Naruto so long as I go to her.' _Of course, tracking Tsunade would take some time given her habits, but given the delicacy of the situation, as well as the complication of Minato's largely unknown seal, Tsunade was actually probably the best one to examine the child anyway. And maybe by the time Sarutobi returned, things would have calmed down among at least some of Konoha's medical staff, and he could find Naruto's future doctor among them.

With that decided, Sarutobi turned his attention back to the reports on his desk once more.

* * *

**Translations**

Tori=Bird

Hebi=Snake

Tatsu=Dragon

Kyuubi no Kitsune=Nine Tailed Fox

Sandaime=Third Lord

Hokage=Fire Shadow

Shinobi no Kami=God of Shinobi

* * *

Well, there you have it. Before anyone jumps down my throat about the "there's no such thing as a council" or "what a cliche with the evil council" etc, please take another look through that particular scene. The implication is rather _heavy_ that the council in this fic has _no power._ The exact purpose of the council is explained a little later, but what it doesn't do, is give orders to the Hokage or make decisions regarding _anything_. They were told only so if Sarutobi were to die, _someone_ would know about Naruto's existence, because its important to the Village as a whole. I hope I don't need to explain the dangers of there being an _unknown_ Jinchuuriki living in a Hidden Village. Their rather negative reaction is based on the fact that just hours before, _hundreds_ if not _thousands_ of their friends and relatives were just _killed_. Emotions were running high _before_ they found out the Kyuubi was still around. So it's not unbelievable that they might _panic_ at the idea that the unstoppable killing machine was _inside_ the village. The only ones screaming about killing him were the ones with the _least _amount of understanding as to what's going on. Sarutobi himself states that the civilians were an _afterthought_ when the council was formed, because he knew how easy it would be for an all ninja leadership/group of advisors to forget that the civilians even exist, let alone when making plans for things like how best to evacuate or repel an attack. Of the _two_ clan heads who spoke against Naruto, one was _asking_ if killing him would actually kill the Kyuubi, and once it was pointed out that it didn't work like that, he _didn't_ ask again. Whereas Fugaku, the commander of the Military Police and as such largely responsible for protecting the village, had a problem with the idea that if the Kyuubi ever escaped again, it would appear wherever Naruto was aka, _inside _the village. That's why his suggestion/demand was that Naruto be taken somewhere _outside _the village, so that if Kyuubi ever escaped, they'd have some kind of _warning_ and time to evacuate the relatively _helpless_ civilians.

If you have any reviews, questions, criticisms, suggestions, etc. I'm more than willing to hear them. Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note:**

Once again, special thanks to my beta Sakiku Torakak for her AMAZING job. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter two of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

_'THOUGHTS'_

LINE BREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO**

_Two Weeks Later_

It was only luck that allowed Sarutobi to find Tsunade so soon, let alone so close to the village. He'd expected to have to wait months to find her, which was longer than he was willing to wait to get Naruto examined. The situation back in Konoha had not improved much when it came to the medical establishment, and the doctors and Medic-nin were still being run ragged to try and see to all of the wounded, and they were still failing to do so. It was times like these that Sarutobi dearly wished he'd been able to implement Tsunade's Medic-nin policy. The extra Medic-nin would have been a welcome addition right now, only slightly less welcome than Tsunade herself returning free of her hemophobia.

So, with the situation in Konoha still too volatile and emotionally charged, and unwilling to take the risk of sending Tsunade a letter only to have her run, Sarutobi took Naruto and a small security contingent of Anbu to the nearby gambling town where Tsunade was currently wallowing in her sorrows.

Sarutobi smiled as he thought of the fond memories involving his only female student. He chuckled sadly as he remembered how vibrant and full of life she had once been. It truly pained him to read Jiraiya's reports of what had become of his most caring and dedicated student. Heartbroken by the loss of first her younger brother, and then later her lover, who died in her arms, she simply wandered from gambling town to gambling town, drinking herself into a stupor whenever she wasn't gambling and losing horribly. On her worst days she did both.

Putting aside his guilt, Sarutobi signaled to his Anbu to disperse and entered the small hotel where Tsunade and her apprentice were staying.

Once he had entered his former student's room undetected -a simple task for a Hokage- he cradled Naruto in one arm while removing a storage scroll from his robes. Biting his thumb to draw a small amount of blood, he unrolled the scroll with a simple flourish, and a crib and baby bag, complete with a prepared bottle, appeared in a puff of smoke.

Sarutobi smiled as Naruto gave a chirping gurgle sound that might have been a laugh at the display, before placing him in the crib and putting an old stuffed monkey that once belonged to his son next to him.

As he watched Naruto cling to the monkey's tail while he fell asleep, Sarutobi began thinking about his former student. While he would be overjoyed to have her return to the village, if for nothing else than to have someone he could trust implicitly with Naruto's heritage, safety, and health, he highly doubted he could convince her to come back. _'Perhaps I've been too lenient with her...I suppose I could try asking or simply ordering her...but on the other hand, she always was stubborn...and with a temper to match...'_

Before he could further debate with himself about trying to talk Tsunade into returning, he picked up the sound of angry footsteps marching through the hall towards the room. These particular angry footsteps were ones he'd recognize anywhere. Moments later Tsunade marched in through the door, slamming it open in the process. This of course woke Naruto with a start, causing him to cry.

* * *

Tsunade wasn't surprised in the least when she saw her old teacher standing in her room. She'd seen the Anbu-who must have grown quite arrogant since she left Konoha if they actually thought they could hide from _her_- outside after all, and while there were far too few of them for this to be some kind of ambush, there _were_ enough of them to be escorting someone like the Sandaime Hokage. So finding Sarutobi in her room wasn't surprising.

Finding him with a baby that was currently wailing as loud as his little lungs could however, was _not_ something she'd expected.

She opened her mouth to demand what was going on, when Sarutobi-sensei actually scolded her in a reprimanding tone. "Tsunade-hime, you woke the baby." He caught her off guard for a moment as he reached down to pick up the still wailing infant. She'd always envisioned an encounter with her old sensei going a bit...differently than this.

_'Good lord, how can something that small be so loud?'_ She thought before narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Sarutobi.

"I thought I spotted an Anbu outside," Tsunade growled, moving to sit on the couch while motioning for Shizune to close the door. "So have you come to force me back to that God forsaken village?" she asked her old sensei with a sneer. She'd always expected that someday, Konoha would try to call her back into its service in some manner or another. And Tsunade always knew that if it came down to force, only Sarutobi and Jiraiya would have a chance of actually succeeding, regardless of her crippling fear of blood. She could also admit -even if only to herself- that Sarutobi was the _only _one that would have a chance of actually _convincing _her to come back. Not that she'd make it _easy_ for the old geezer of course.

To her surprise though, the old man just snorted ruefully. "Come now Tsunade, do you really think so little of me? I don't intend to force you to do anything." Chuckling he added, "After all, you always _were_ my most stubborn student after all."

Tsunade scowled at that, while Sarutobi finally managed to calm the brat down. Strangely enough, instead of dropping back off to sleep, the brat shifted until it was looking over at her, curiosity apparent in its eyes for the split second they were open. Then the kid apparently decided nothing important was going on and he'd rather sleep after all.

More than a little curious herself, Tsunade finally had to ask. "What's with the brat anyway, Sensei?"

Sarutobi looked up from the kid to stare at her with what she could have sworn was anger in his eyes -except for the fact that there wasn't any _reason_ for him to be angry- then cryptically explained, "His name is Naruto, Tsunade, and he is why I've come to see you."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean? What does he have to do with anything?"

She watched closely as something akin to a mixture of guilt and frustration passed through his eyes before he calmed his face and answered her, "Well Tsunade, I would like for you to run a checkup on little Naruto for me. It really is vital that you do so."

_'He came all the way here just weeks after the village was almost destroyed for a baby's_ check-up?' Tsunade wondered incredulously before narrowing her eyes. _'No… there's something more to this than what he's telling me.'_ "And _why_, exactly, would you need _me_ to do that?" Tsunade asked suspiciously. "What's wrong with the village's doctors?" She watched as the guilt and anger passed through his eyes once again.

She didn't have a chance to ponder that as he stiffly answered. "They cannot be trusted with him at this time. Although I have every confidence the situation will improve as things calm down, I'm afraid Naruto here couldn't wait."

To say Tsunade was shocked by that was an understatement. She had practically _built_ the hospital and the medical practice in Konoha herself, one of the few things she could call her legacy, and to hear that, for some reason, the staff there couldn't be trusted with a simple checkup for an infant shocked her. "Just who is this kid that you can't trust him with the doctors there? I mean, I can imagine how hectic things must be for them if the damage from the Kyuubi attack was even half what the rumors say, but that shouldn't be enough to say they can't be _trusted_.:" She paused for a moment as a thought struck her. "For that matter, why do you need another checkup so soon after birth anyway?"

There it was again, that same look on his face for a fraction of a second. "That is because Naruto has yet to have a single checkup."

"That doesn't make any sense. Any newborn would have had multiple checkups before he was even released from the hospital." Tsunade protested in disbelief. _'What aren't you telling me sensei?'_ Tsunade narrowed her eyes once more as she asked, "Why not? Just who _is_ this brat that he's so important that you'd come all the way out here just so he could have a standard checkup?"

Her old sensei glanced at Shizune for an instant before meeting her eyes. "Perhaps we should speak in private." He suggested in a way that she knew wasn't a suggestion at all.

_'Shit...village secrets? I wonder what could be so important about this kid?' _She wondered to herself._ 'Well, looks like I'm about to find out either way. Whether I want to or not.'_ She nodded in understanding, despite her distaste for anything to do with that wretched village that had stolen everything from her. "Shizune!"

Said girl jumped in surprise at suddenly being spoken to, "Ye-yes Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade stood up from the couch, still watching the Old Man warily. "Watch the kid." Getting a nod from Sarutobi-sensei, the Slug Sannin walked towards the bedroom while the old man carefully handed the brat to a visibly nervous Shizune.

Once they entered the bedroom, Sarutobi closed the door, and went through the process of placing a series of Fuuinjutsu tags on the walls, just before the walls glowed slightly as what could simplistically be called a "privacy jutsu" took effect. _'Whatever this is about, he's not taking any chances of anyone else hearing about it. What could be so important about this kid? And why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like the answer?'_ Sitting in the room's only chair, she fixed the old man with a stern stare. "Alright, talk."

* * *

Shizune stared worriedly at the bedroom door as it closed behind the Hokage. Tsunade-sama had just lost an enormous amount of money gambling, and she hadn't had any alcohol in a while. As such, she was in a very bad mood. Shizune also knew that Tsunade-sama had a habit of breaking things – or people – when she was in such a mood.

On the other hand, the Sandaime was her old sensei. Surely he knew about Tsunade-sama's temper and could handle himself… right?

_'Although… I'm not sure if I want him to be able to handle Tsunade-sama. What if he wants something from her? Surely the Sandaime wouldn't leave the village just for an infant's checkup? After all, Konoha is renowned for its medical facilities in comparison to the other Hidden Villages, so why would the Hokage say they couldn't be trusted?'_

Before she could ponder this further, she felt something gripping the front of her kimono. Looking down with a start, she saw the child with a tiny fistful of her kimono. "Oh! I can't believe I forgot about you!" Flustered she put the infant -Naruto, the Sandaime called him?- in the crib. However, the moment she put him down, he began fidgeting and blindly reaching up for her while making distressed sounds.

Picking him back up and grabbing the stuffed monkey from the crib at the same time, she took a seat on the couch as she examined him curiously. He had a fuzzy mop of tiny blond hairs, a quick peek revealed sapphire blue eyes with slit pupils -almost like an Inuzuka if the child's hair and eye color weren't completely different from what she remembered of the clan- and six strange birthmarks, three on each cheek, which seemed almost like whiskers. Smiling she couldn't resist giggling, "You know, you're pretty cute little Naru-chan." He let out what might have been a laugh as she danced the monkey up and down his legs. As she continued, the bedroom door slammed open and out stomped an enraged Tsunade.

As Shizune tried to comfort the now crying and startled infant, Tsunade reached out and snatched little Naruto from her. Shizune opened her mouth to protest her mentor's actions, but her sensei interrupted her.

"Shizune!" She flinched slightly at Tsunade-sama's tone, letting her protests die before she could finish them.

"Yes Tsunade-sama?" she answered somewhat hesitantly. Her sensei was obviously in a _very_ bad mood right now. When she heard her teacher's orders she was appalled. "B-b-but Tsunade-sama-!" She let her protests die when Tsunade glared at her. Shivering slightly, she gave in. "Yes Tsunade-sama." Sending one last glance at the crying infant in her mentor's arms, Shizune left to carry out her orders.

* * *

Sarutobi watched his student sit in the room's only chair, before she fixed him with a stern look and said one word, "Talk."

Knowing her volatile temper, Sarutobi thought for a moment to see if there was an easy way to explain, preferably one that wouldn't ignite her fiery temper. There wasn't. _'I really wish Jiraiya was here… he's always been good at being a target for Tsunade's temper.'_ Sighing, he began his story. "As I'm sure you're aware by now, two weeks ago Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Tsunade nodded impatiently at this. "What you don't know is just how the Yondaime defeated it."

He then told Tsunade about the sealing technique and its various costs, about Naruto -who he told her was an orphan of unknown heritage- and his reasoning behind the decision to inform the council. He also informed her about what the result of that particular decision was, and the difficulties facing Konoha's medical personnel.

He watched as her face grew angrier and angrier. Sarutobi knew that, soon, her temper would explode. He was not disappointed.

* * *

Tsunade couldn't believe what she had just been told. The Yondaime, one of the kindest men she had ever met, had condemned an orphan to a – possibly short – life of struggle and, in all likelihood, fear and pain. She was even angrier to learn of what her sensei had done, and she made sure he was aware of it.

"You senile old fool!" She exploded, "what have you been smoking, crack!" She stood from her chair to glare down at her old sensei. "I thought you were supposed to be _smart_!" She continued before he could defend himself, "Professor my ass! What could have made you think it was a good idea to inform the _entire_ council about this! Why didn't you just tell the Elders and Anbu? They were the only ones who actually _needed _to know! Hell, you still haven't even told _me_ who the _second_ Jinchuuriki was, and my grandmother was the _first_! But you'll tell _dozens_ of random shinobi and civilians?!"

As she took a breath to continue her rant, Sarutobi spoke, "I had to inform _someone, _Tsunade_. _I'm already an old man, and while informing the council might have been a mistake; there weren't a great many options. The rest of Konoha's leadership were either killed, or are as old as I am. Both the Anbu ranks and the shinobi portion of the council took heavy casualties as well. Besides, I did not think they would be so willing to risk their own death, especially the civilian members, especially since they were explicitly told what would happen. It appears some of them have grown arrogant in the "power" afforded them by their status."

Tsunade growled, "So what makes you think that they'll keep their mouths shut now?"

She fumed as Sarutobi pulled his pipe from the folds of his robe and began packing it with tobacco, taking his time in answering her. "I am fairly certain that the dozen heads decorating the front of the Hokage tower will suffice to remind them why they should follow my orders." He then lit his pipe and began to puff on it.

She opened her mouth to begin again when he beat her to the punch, "So, now that I have explained the situation, will you perform a checkup on Naruto?"

Tsunade glared at him for changing the subject, but relented seeing how she really wanted to get drunk and just forget about this whole fiasco, and she knew that both her sensei _and_ Shizune would gang up on her about her drinking habits. Better to get rid of the old man as soon as she could since she was pretty used to ignoring Shizune's scoldings.

"Fine!" She spat as she stomped to the door and slammed it open.

Once she entered the room, she was presented with the brat's unbelievably loud cries. Wincing at the volume, she walked to her apprentice, who was trying to calm the kid. Reaching out, she scooped the blond brat out of Shizune's arms and barked, "Shizune!"

Shizune's half-formed protests ceased as she instinctively answered, "Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Go buy me sake, a lot of it. And hurry up."

Shizune protested, but Tsunade silenced her with a glare. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Looking down at the still crying baby, Tsunade's eyes softened slightly as she began rocking him. Wasn't like it was the brat's fault she had to put up with all this bullshit. "Shh, it's alright little one. There's nothing to be afraid of." Once he calmed down, she ran a standard diagnostic jutsu on him before raising an eyebrow at the results. Next, she took a very small amount of blood -to avoid triggering her hemophobia- and ran another diagnostic on both him and the blood. Examining the information, she turned to her sensei and began to inform him of what she found.

"Physically, he is perfectly healthy." she stated in a softer voice than before. The old man nodded in relief; apparently, he had been more worried than he had let on.

"What else have you found?" He asked curiously.

Falling into her old routine, Tsunade started her report with an overview on the boy's surprisingly enhanced senses. "All of his senses; sight, hearing, smell, even touch and taste are far above what one would consider normal, even among shinobi children."

"Just how far above normal are they?" Sarutobi cut in curiously before she could continue.

Tsunade thought for a moment to formulate her answer, knowing that while her old sensei wasn't unintelligent by any means, and could perform every single Medical Jutsu known to Konoha, he _wasn't_ a Medic-nin by any stretch of the imagination. As such, Tsunade had to give him an answer that was simple enough for her sensei to understand, even if it wouldn't be entirely accurate as a result. "His senses of smell and hearing are on par with most fully grown Inuzuka I've ever examined, and his eye sight is probably equal to an Uchiha or Hyuuga -without their doujutsu of course. Not to mention, his senses of taste and touch are several times above normal, though the latter will make him quite sensitive to sensations of pain or pleasure, and he'll probably be a picky eater because of the former."

She looked down at Naruto for a moment as she dryly concluded, "Impressive, for a two week old brat."

Sarutobi nodded thoughtfully as he asked, "Anything else unusual?"

Tsunade hesitated before answering, wondering if she'd be doing more harm than good by telling him. "His body seems to heal fairly quickly." Seeing Sarutobi's questioning look she elaborated. "Not like regeneration or the effects of Medical jutsu mind you and he'll certainly scar just like anyone else. But at the same time, he'll probably be able to survive injuries that would kill most others. It actually reminds me of the old stories about the Uzumaki clan's longevi-" Tsunade's thoughts came to a halt before staring at Sarutobi angrily. "_Is_ he from the Uzumaki clan? I thought you said he was an orphan, yet he bears the Uzumaki surname and appears to have their longe-"

"No, he's not from the Uzumaki clan." Sarutobi sighed interrupting her this time. "I gave him the surname in honor of Mito-sama, and of the friendship that Konoha had with Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki clan. All of these enhanced abilities of his are likely the result of the Kyuubi being sealed within him, along with the seals Minato used."

Tsunade stared at him for a moment, unsure as to whether or not he was actually telling the truth. On the one hand, the boy's healing factor _was _quite similar to what she knew of the Uzumaki clan's longevity, and it wasn't every day that the name of a dead clan was so nonchalantly bestowed on an orphan. On the other hand, there had never _been _a newborn Jinchuuriki that she knew of, so who's to say that the Kyuubi couldn't have been responsible for the boy's altered physiology. And besides, what reason would Sarutobi have to lie to her about this? Sarutobi's voice drew her out of her musings.

"Still, this is a very interesting development. Perhaps these abilities could be passed down to Naruto's children as some form of a bloodline or another. Particularly that healing factor, if it's as similar to the Uzumaki's longevity as you claim." Sarutobi pondered aloud.

Tsunade glared at him, both for the insinuation that she didn't know what she was talking about -even if he hadn't meant it that way- and for thinking about something like the benefits Naruto's bloodline could have for the Village in the future, regardless of how pragmatic such thoughts were.

Seeing her look, Sarutobi was quick to explain himself. "This information may make the council more willing to accept Naruto, rather than constantly complaining abo-"

"Or," Tsunade interrupted pessimistically. "It may make them all the more eager to try to kill him." After all, it certainly wouldn't be the first time a clan had decided to prevent "competition" from an emerging bloodline. Even if said bloodline had the potential to benefit the village as a whole. "Or even worse, it might make them decide he'd make a nice addition to their own clans, causing them to drag him into their _politics_ and, God help him, _political marriages_."

The old man sighed in frustration. "I am doing all I can to keep him safe and free of the politics, Tsunade-cha-."

"And what happens when your all isn't enough!" She interrupted again, too angry to care about protocol. "How much suffering will be inflicted on him because of the Yondaime and _your_ foolishness!? You of all people should remember how my Grandmother was treated, even after all she'd done for Konoha before sealing the Kyuubi within herself, and even after _years_ of keeping the Bijuu safely locked away!"

She watched the Hokage's eyes narrow in anger before he uncharacteristically yelled, "What would you have me do!"

Tsunade glared at him when the startled Naruto began to cry again. "Quiet!" she hissed softly. "What did I just tell you about his hearing?" She asked as she comforted the wailing infant.

The old man's visage softened into that of a tired old man as he looked at her and the crying child. "Forgive me," he said softly before continuing, "But what would you have me do? What else _can_ I do? The attack was barely two weeks ago, parts of the village are in ruin, and I have more dead and injured than our doctors and Medic-nin can handle. A large number of the shinobi I currently have under my command are teenagers, many of whom just lost their loved ones to the Kyuubi, and I have clan heads that are barely twenty in some cases, or weren't even supposed to _be _clan heads in the first place. All of this less than a year after the end of the Third Great Shinobi War. I can't even get _Jiraiya _to stick around, or to help in any way other than his spy network."

Tsunade thought furiously while she continued to comfort the child in her arms. _'What could he do? Is there any more that could be done?' _Realistically, no, there really wasn't much more that could be done for Naruto, not now that his status was well-known within Konoha. She frowned sadly at the child once he began to calm down. _'It's not fair. He's too young for such a burden. Not to mention how the Village will treat him.'_ She had no doubt, what would happen to Naruto if he grew up in that accursed village. She had met several Jinchuuriki in her life and none of them were well adjusted or well treated individuals. Not particularly sane either. And there were undoubtedly many in Konoha who knew or _thought_ they knew that as well. Those misconceptions were almost as damning to the boy as the truth. And in their fear, Konoha would likely bring them about. Even her grandmother had been feared by many, though the woman always seemed to take it all in stride. Whether or not that was because she was already a full grown woman -not to mention a powerful kunoichi who had survived the era of the Hidden Clans as well as seen the birth of the Hidden Village's era- or because she had a lifetime of good experiences as well as family to fall back on, was something that Tsunade had never truly been able to discern.

Sighing she turned back to Sarutobi as he asked her. "Is there anything else I should know about Naruto's health?"

She recognized the change of subject for what it was and was grateful for it. "Other than a higher than usual rate of metabolism no." On that note, Naruto began to cry again. "I'll take care of it," Tsunade offered as she checked the boy's diaper before standing and digging around in Naruto's baby bag for his bottle.

Her old sensei sighed and walked toward the door. "Very well, thank you for your help. I'll gather my Anbu and come back for Naruto and his things when he's done feeding."

She nodded distractedly as she found Naruto's bottle and returned to her chair before she began to feed the little tyke. Once he was finished, she placed the bottle on the table. Naruto gurgled happily while stretching and kicking his little feet. Looking down at him, she smiled sadly while thinking about how quickly the village would ruin that beautiful innocence of his, of the suffering they would no doubt inflict on him with their ignorant prejudice. After all, that was a large part of the reason that the identity of Konoha's second Jinchuuriki was kept such a well-guarded secret, even from her. And somewhere along the line, her thoughts began to take a darker turn. _'I can't let him be destroyed by that place. He shouldn't have to suffer so much.'_ Slowly she raised her hand until it rested on his frail neck. _'Just one quick snap is all it would take.'_ She thought, _'Just one snap and he'll be safe from the future that awaits him back in the Village.'_

Ordinarily, she could never condone killing an infant, but unlike the villagers, she would do it only to protect him from the hatred and suffering that he would undoubtedly face. Granted, the Kyuubi would eventually reform itself, but that would take years if not decades.

In her mind there were no other viable options. Sarutobi would never willingly allow Naruto to live outside the village, not with one of the Bijuu sealed inside him. The security risk was simply too great. And she certainly couldn't try to take him by force, even if she wasn't still dealing with her own problems. She had no doubt Sarutobi and his Anbu would be able to stop her. While Tsunade may be one of the Sannin, she also had a crippling fear of blood. There was no way she could fight her way through while carrying an infant, if the sight of more than a pinprick of blood caused her to shut down. Even if by some chance she succeeded, she and Shizune would both be declared Missing-nin and hunted down by everyone from bounty hunters to Oinin.

So really her only options were to either let him be taken back to the Village that she truly believed would destroy the boy, or a quick mercy killing.

Compared to the quick and painless death she could give him, the Village was unlikely to be as merciful regardless of Sarutobi's wishes and intentions. She tightened her hand and looked away. Her eyes began to water uncontrollably as she took a shuddering breath. She squeezed her eyes shut and gave a whispered "I'm sorry." She was ready to finish her task.

Just as she was about to snap Naruto's neck she felt a soft tug on one of her braids. Opening her eyes, she was greeted by an adorable sight. In his blind flailing, little Naruto had somehow gotten a hold of her braid that had been hanging over her shoulder. She watched as he curiously placed her hair in his mouth, still tugging at it slightly and somehow avoiding getting any hair wrapped around his tiny fingers. The sight melted her heart, and reminded her of beliefs and convictions that she had carried throughout her life, even if they'd been tarnished by all that Konoha had taken from her.

Removing her hand from his neck, followed by her hair from his hand, she did nothing to stop the tears that trailed down her cheeks as her rampant emotions raged back and forth. She brought him close and laid a kiss on his forehead. She held him to her chest and wept silently at his fate and her lack of willpower to save him from it. _'Please,'_ she prayed to whoever was listening, _'Please, someone, anyone, keep him safe, keep him happy. Please, don't let them destroy him… please.'_

* * *

**Later**

She stood next to Shizune as they watched Sarutobi and his escort leave the town with Naruto. "Did they really have to leave so soon, Tsunade-sama?" Her apprentice asked disappointedly.

"The old man can't afford to be away for too long, you know that." She replied grumpily. "He shouldn't have even come out here in the first place."

"I know," Shizune sighed wistfully, "Still I wish he and little Naruto could have stayed a bit longer. He's so adorable; I almost wish we could have kept him!"

Tsunade snorted in amusement at her apprentice's near squeal before fondly thinking of how true the statement was. _'He was pretty cute for a brat.'_

"Do you think we'll ever see him again Tsunade-sama?" Shizune questioned curiously, the truth behind the brat's identity unknown to her.

"Who knows?" She replied sadly while thinking to herself, _'If we do ever meet again, I just hope he can still smile by then. Hell, I hope he's still_ human_ by then.' _It was by no means a certainty considering the relatively short average lifespan of Jinchuuriki in other Villages, or of their sanity.

…

…

…

If only she knew…the horrors he would see...

* * *

Well, there you have it. Little shorter than last chapter. I wasn't too sure whether or not to leave that last line unchanged during revisions. I originally put it in as a foreboding suggestion of Naruto's future, but it might be a bit much. I've thought about just leaving it as "If only she knew..." but I don't know. Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas, criticism? Reviews appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors note:**

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and just so you all know, I wasn't trying to bash Tsunade or anything in the last chapter. She is actually one of my favorite characters and I am kind of addicted to stories where she adopts/raised Naruto.

JUST TO NOTE, there is something in this chapter that is somewhat cliche. Before you send me a bunch of reviews tearing into me, please read the whole thing, and then stop and think about it for a second. Please, don't hit the scene in question, and then immedieatly jump to the bottom to leave me a review telling me how stupid I am, or how this or that never happened in Canon.

Special thanks to my beta Sakiku Torakak once again. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter three of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

_'THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

_Three Years Later_

A small child cried as he walked through the streets alone. While some might find this somewhat alarming and offer assistance to the child, few if any would give any help to _this_ particular child for reasons as varied as anger, fear, hatred, or just sheer indifference.

His name was Naruto Uzumaki and he was a monster. He didn't know _why_ he was a monster, but all of the adults told him he was, and surely they knew what they were talking about. After all, only the Old Man ever said he wasn't, and while he seemed really smart, he was still just one man that Naruto only saw from time to time.

The reason for Naruto's tears today was his recent trip to a park near his orphanage. He had often heard about parks from the other children at the orphanage and had always dreamed of going to one. The other children had made it sound like a lot of fun and a place to make friends. Naruto had never been allowed outside of the orphanage walls before and was only rarely allowed around the other orphans, so he was always lonely when the Old Man wasn't around.

For some reason though, that had all been changed three days ago during one of the Old Man's visits and now Naruto could go where ever he wanted, whenever he wanted as long as he was back at the orphanage by sunset. So after a few days to test and get used to his new freedom, Naruto decided to go to a park a few blocks away that the other children had talked about. Once he got there he had been amazed at what, to him, seemed to be a paradise. There were all kinds of sandboxes, and swings, and slides, and some odd metal contraptions that Naruto wouldn't later learn were called seesaws and jungle gyms. And most importantly, there were children of varying ages all around, just playing and having fun. Naruto had watched in fascination as a little girl had walked up to a group of children and simply asked "Can I play?" and just like that, she was a part of the group. Naruto wanted that.

Naruto had eagerly run to the other children to try to make friends, certain it would be as easy as it had been for the little girl. Alas, this was not to be as the moment Naruto got within arm's reach, a swarm of parents showed up and began grabbing their children away from him. Then came the whispering. "Stay away from him. He's a bad boy. He's dangerous. If I ever catch you near him, you'll be grounded for a month. Don't even look at him." being among the most common whispers. After just a few minutes, Naruto was left completely alone once more.

When the last of the parents and their children began to walk away from him, Naruto couldn't hold in his tears any longer. He ran from the park crying and asking himself, _'What did I do? Why doesn't anyone like me?'_ It never occurred to the young child that the adults might have been_ afraid_ of him. After all, as far as most children were concerned, "grownups" weren't afraid of anything, one of the many reasons children were so eager to grow up. It also never occurred to him that for every parent that told their children to stay away from him, there were two or three who didn't even seem to _notice_ him, preoccupied as they were with going about their own lives. All _he_ saw were parents dragging their children away from him, and all he heard were those terrible whispers.

Naruto was so lost in his confusion and pain that he never saw the balding man with a graying mustache until he was stumbling back from the force of his collision with the man. He did see it when the man grabbed him by the arm though, and he definitely noticed when the man began to curse angrily while shaking him back and forth. Terrified at this new experience, Naruto tried to pull away, but he never really had a chance against a fully-grown adult.

Naruto flinched fearfully as the man raised his hand in the air as if to strike him, which almost made him miss the man being hit in the head with a rock. The villager stumbled to the side from the hit and loosened his grip enough for Naruto to pull free and run. Had he looked back he would have seen a pair of Anbu members Shunshin into view, jab a pressure point on the man, then Shunshin away with the villager in tow. If he had, then he might have been frozen in wonder and fear at the sight, and as a result, what was about to occur might have been prevented.

Instead, he ran on for another block or two before ducking into an alley to catch his breath. Once his lungs were no longer pumping like a bellows, Naruto poked his head around the corner, nervously checking to make sure that the scary man hadn't decided to chase him.

Breathing a sigh of relief when he found no trace of the villager in the crowd, Naruto fearfully decided to cut through the alleyway just to be sure. Turning around Naruto made his way through the back street which, as far as alleys went, was fairly nice. Sure, there were a number of garbage cans and some discarded magazines and bottles, but overall it was fairly well kept. Certainly there was nothing about the alley that would have made him wary or fearful, so when he suddenly found himself lying face first on the ground he was caught completely off guard. Trying to focus through the agonizing pain in the back of his head, Naruto unsteadily tried to push himself to his knees. He barely managed to even get his hands under him before a hand buried itself in his hair and pulled him completely off the ground and threw him into the wall, painfully ripping out a fist full of his hair in the process.

Disoriented, Naruto collapsed to the ground and struggled fitfully to draw in another breath. Between the lack of air, and the pain in his head and his back, Naruto never saw the foot that slammed into his stomach, driving what little air he had left out of his lungs.

Looking up through watering eyes, Naruto finally got a look at his attacker, though in his confusion it still took him a moment to realize that he was _being attacked_. Though Naruto lacked the life-experience to know the difference at the time, the man was a civilian, probably a merchant of some kind if one were to judge by the make and quality of the man's clothing. The man had brown hair that fell to his collar, but was combed over a rather large bald spot on top. He wasn't much more than average in height, but he towered over Naruto's small frame.

Naruto didn't even have the chance to formulate a sentence as the man growled and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off his feet before slamming him repeatedly against the alley wall. What terrified Naruto the most though, wasn't the suddenness of the attack, nor was it the attack itself. It was how _quiet_ the man was. The only sound he made was the grinding of his teeth and the ragged breathing.

He just kept looking at Naruto with those _hurtful _eyes.

Now truly afraid -not to mention coherent enough to _be _afraid- Naruto tried desperately to draw enough breath to scream, to call for help, to beg for mercy, anything to make the pain and terror go away. Unfortunately, between the hands squeezing his throat and being repeatedly slammed into the wall, he was already approaching unconsciousness. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your view, the merchant stopped suddenly and threw him to the ground once more, allowing Naruto to painfully gasp for air. Naruto's respite was short-lived though, as his unnamed assailant straddled his chest, easily pinning Naruto's arms down with his legs.

Trying once again to suck in enough air to scream, Naruto felt a horrible stabbing sensation in his right side. Coughing, Naruto terror grew a hundred fold when he saw his own blood splatter out from his mouth.

Only later would he learn that the man's kick had not only broken two of his ribs, but it had also forced one of the bone fragments into his right lung.

Finally the man spoke, his face scrunched up in disgust. "Little bastard! How dare you soil me with your tainted blood!?" Naruto could only whimper in confusion and fear as the man drove a fist into his face, breaking his nose with a sickening crunch. Naruto's head swam with the sheer agony he was experiencing. Combined with broken ribs, bruised throat, and the lung that was slowly filling up with blood and other bodily fluids, Naruto was on the verge of passing out.

While his vision grew darker and Naruto began to slowly slip into blissful unconsciousness, his struggles -weak as they were at this point- stopped.

However, just when he was about to pass out, he felt a new pain that brought him screaming back to consciousness. Naruto tried to look up at the villager only to find that the man had Naruto's neck and lower jaw in a vice-like grip, cruelly grinding the right side of Naruto's face into the cold cement in the process. Eyes darting towards his attacker, Naruto felt his stomach churn nauseously at the twisted grin on the man's face as he stared down on Naruto.

The villager giggled in sick glee, a sound that seemed completely at odds with the look of utter hatred and rage on the man's face. "Let's see you try to hide now you fucking monster."

Naruto could just make out the knife handle out of the corner of his peripheral vision. He stared at it in confusion for a moment, still wondering what had caused him such pain to drive the darkness away, before his eyes widened in horrified realization. Naruto barely had time to beg, "Please don't-!" before the man began to brutally cut at his face with a sawing motion, as if he wanted to cut straight through Naruto's cheekbone and come out the other cheek.

The pain was horrific, a burning sensation, like someone had pushed red-hot steel across his face and then jerked it back and forth jaggedly. Naruto screamed with everything he had, which was very little at this point as his vision darkened once more, though this time it was a mixture of tears and his own blood that was the cause. As the man lifted the blade from his face he felt a new pain as the wound was exposed to the air, as if molten steel was poured into the cuts.

After a moment that seemed to last for an eternity, the pain subsided to a -relatively speaking- dull ache. Blinking desperately to try to clear his vision, Naruto could only scream when he heard his assailant cackle. "Two down and four to go!"

* * *

Hitode brought the blade towards the demon's face, intending to continue his grisly work. There was no room in his enraged mind for anything else at this point, not after everything he had lost over the last three years.

Hitode had at first thought his family lucky in the hours following the Kyuubi's attack. They'd all survived, even his newly promoted Chuunin wife Miku who had been out helping to defend the village. Throughout that terrible night, Hitode had hated himself, hated how he was hiding in the safety of the shelters while his beloved Miku was out there fighting, and possibly dying. Even when he gathered the Academy students together so their Chuunin-sensei could join the battle, he hated himself for not being by his wife's side. And he'd never felt as happy as when he was reunited with his darling wife in the aftermath, finding her tired but gloriously _alive_ and unharmed. Even with all of the chaos and the loss of the Yondaime and so many others, Hitode had felt certain that he was blessed by the gods. And then his elder brother Shido had learned the truth behind the Kyuubi's defeat.

Hitode had been horrified to learn that the demon was not only still alive, but was actually being _protected_ by the Sandaime! What was the old man thinking?! Even worse, the Sandaime had actually _overruled_ the Council and declared the demon would be allowed to _live alongside _the rest of the villagers! Hitode had fiercely supported his brother's decision to gather the people together to confront the aged Hokage, who had obviously allowed his power to go to his head if he thought he could just do as he pleased despite the Council's unanimous objections. He'd even helped spread the word about the demon's attempt to avoid its destruction by hiding in the form of a child.

So one could imagine his horror when instead of uniting behind his brother and the other Councilors, the people had turned against them. Rather than being outraged at the Hokage's betrayal of them all, the shinobi had actually _arrested_ Shido, as well as all those Councilors who had been helping him. Then, when the Sandaime tyrannically ordered their deaths, the shinobi hadn't hesitated to comply, executing their duly elected leaders without a flicker of remorse!

Hitode had been crushed, unable to believe what was happening before his eyes even as the Sandaime personally explained his latest law and the consequence for breaking it. Even worse, while Miku mourned with him and supported him through his brother's death -whom he hadn't even been allowed to bury as his body was left for carrion to devour- she actually _supported_ the Hokage! That while she would miss Shido and regretted his passing and the pain if had brought him, she couldn't condemn the Sandaime for enforcing the Village's laws. That _Shido_, however much he might have believed he was doing the right thing, had handled the situation terribly, and had actually committed _treason_ by his actions.

Their marriage had barely survived after that, despite the great love they had for one another. It took nearly two years of harsh arguments combined with barely seeing Miku -as she and the rest of the shinobi were run ragged to get Konoha back on its feet- before they had been able to reconcile with each other. Admittedly, it was Miku's near death in an ambush that claimed the lives of several teammates that truly drove home what Hitode had been about to lose. It also helped that Miku desperately wanted children, nearly as much as Hitode himself, and even better, Miku's dream job was to be an instructor at the Academy, a posting that many other shinobi tried desperately to avoid.

With that in mind, Hitode tried to put Shido's murder behind him, and to ignore the demon child in favor of preparing for his new family -not to mention the frantic "practice runs" Miku put him through while waiting for her request for paternity leave to go through. For a wonderful few weeks, Hitode had once again dared to believe he was truly blessed. But slowly, things had become less and less wonderful. While Miku's request for leave had been approved, actually conceiving a child had proven almost ridiculously difficult considering how many accidental pregnancies happened in a Hidden Village each year. Hitode had honestly had no clue how difficult it could be to _intentionally_ impregnate a woman. Ironic considering lengths he'd gone through as a young man to avoid just that.

Still, a quick trip to the doctor had set their minds at ease. Learning that it wasn't uncommon to take up to a year for a couple to get pregnant the first time had surprised him, as had the doctor's chuckled warning that daily sex could actually _decrease_ their odds of conceiving. Still, while slightly embarrassed to learn that he and Miku might have simply been trying too _hard_ to have a child, Hitode had been happy.

But then a year had come and gone without a pregnancy. And while Miku remained optimistic, Hitode only grew more and more convinced something was wrong. And then, it occurred to him, that Miku, his darling beautiful Miku, had been exposed to the Kyuubi's tainted chakra for _hours_ during the attack! Who knew what effect that could have on a woman? Hitode had tried to put it out of his mind, had tried telling himself that surely someone would have noticed by now if the Kyuubi's chakra had negatively affected anyone. But he couldn't do it.

Over time, he only grew more certain, enough so that he had tearfully confessed his fear to Miku. In turn, Miku had gone looking for answers herself from her kunoichi acquaintances. She'd returned hours later with a relieved smile, joyfully telling him that his fears were for naught, and there had never been any such side effects noted from exposure to demonic chakra.

Hitode himself had been relieved for a moment, before his treacherous mind had reminded him that there had to be a _reason _for their difficulties in conceiving a child. And worried that Miku had simply been reassured by one of her friends who didn't actually _know,_ Hitode had asked where she'd gotten her information. Her answer had shocked and horrified him.

"The Sandaime." she had cheerfully replied, seemingly completely put at ease by what that _murderer _had told her. Unable to contain his outrage, Hitode exploded at Miku, calling her a fool among other things, reasserting his belief in the demon child's role in their difficulties. The conversation quickly turned heated after he brought up the demon child, and Hitode honestly couldn't remember what exactly it was he had said that had set her off, but for some reason, Miku had actually slapped him, before coldly telling him that he understood _nothing_, least of all about the demon that she insisted on calling "poor boy". That was more than he could take, not after everything that monster had taken from him and his family.

So he threw Miku out. Not for good, just so she could have some time to come to her senses and realize the danger that the Kyuubi continued to pose, especially if it was able to keep them from conceiving a child. Hitode was more than prepared to take her back, and was in fact able to concede that while not in the wrong, some of his words had been unduly harsh to his wife -who he realized must have been terrified at the possibility of being barren because of that monster, and thus simply grasping at straws to try to reassure herself. It hurt him to be away from his beloved Miku, and that pain had led to him drinking more than was probably good for him, but he'd known the pain would only be temporary. After all, they'd gotten over their arguments following Shido's death; surely they would get over this one as well.

But as the days turned into weeks and then months, Hitode began to grow worried when he didn't hear from Miku. So he went looking for her, and growing more worried when he failed to find her at first. She wasn't at any of the places he could usually find her, and most of her friends still weren't talking to him after their fight, so he was truly at wits end. He finally did find her of course, though at first he couldn't believe it was actually her. Much to his surprise, when he stumbled into her he found her pregnant!

For a moment he could only stare at her, and then he laughed joyously, rushing forward to engulf her in a hug and kiss her deeply. What a fool he had been, thinking that the Kyuubi could actually prevent pregnancy. Even more so when he realized that he must have finally gotten her pregnant just days before their fight.

It never occurred to him to wonder why she hadn't told him before now.

Just like it never occurred to him that she might avoid his attempt to hug her and convey his joy. Or that she would look at him so coldly as she asked what he wanted.

Just like it never occurred to him that she would laugh when he asked why she hadn't told him that she was pregnant, or that she in turn would ask why he thought she would.

Just like it never occurred to him that she would tell him that she was just shy of being four months along, nor remind him that they hadn't so much as _spoken_ in almost _seven_ months.

Just like it never occurred to him that when he threw her out that day, it was the last straw for her. That he had hurt her so badly and so deeply that she had crawled into a sake bottle and hadn't come out until weeks later when she had squandered her savings away staying as drunk as she could for as long as she could, leaving her in the streets with nowhere else to go. That is, until another man had found her. The same man that had taken her in as if she were a stray kitten and carefully nursed her back to health and sobriety. The same man she had somehow fallen in love with. The same man _she_ had demanded to marry her. The same man who had laughed before kissing her and asking if she wanted a traditional wedding or not. The same man who had gotten her pregnant on their wedding night. Their _first _time together.

Hitode couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that he had lost his beloved Miku to another man. He couldn't believe that Miku was actually carrying another man's child. He'd stood there in a daze, desperately wondering where it had all gone wrong for him even as Miku walked away. And when he saw the demon child dart into an alley, he could no longer stand by and watch as Konoha's greatest enemy walked unpunished through the village. Not after everything the bastard Fox had done to him and his family.

So he had chased the beast down, and made sure to extract every bit of punishment from the bastard as he could. Marking the demon for what it was, was only the beginning as far as Hitode was concerned as he laid the blade across the screaming bastard's face for a third cut.

"Oh God, what the _hell _are you doing!?" A horrified voice shouted. "Hey, Naoto, come on!"

There were running footsteps.

And then two young men were dragging him off of the Fox-Child. Hitode screamed in incoherent rage as he struggled with the two interlopers, thrashing from side to side and throwing one of the fools off him, the other holding tightly to his knife hand. Twisting, he delivered a vicious punch, shattering the young redhead's nose with a sickening crunch. Yet the young man didn't relinquish his grip, and seeing the second man getting back to his feet, Hitode grabbed the redhead by the hair and slammed his head into the alley wall.

The man's grip weakened, and Hitode wrenched his hand free, spinning back and raising his knife over head to end the Fox-Child once and for all.

Then a hand suddenly seized his wrist, the pressure just short of snapping the bone. Simultaneously, an arm wrapped around his neck from behind and yanked him off the ground, dragging him several feet from the Fox-Child.

Hitode snarled and tried to twist free, only to come close to soiling himself when he saw a Usagi masked Anbu dash past him and scoop the demon into his arms. He let out a slight whimper when Usagi looked up from the thing in his arms to Hitode, or more specifically, to the other Anbu holding him.

"Saru, I'll take Naruto to the hospital, you deal with the traitor and inform Hokage-sama."

"Understood." was the grim response that came from behind Hitode.

Hitode watched as the gray armored shinobi leapt to the rooftops and dashed off.

"Thank you for your assistance in this matter. You have done a great service to Konoha." the voice now identified as Saru said to the two interlopers. "If you will wait at the opening of the alley, a Medic-nin will be along shortly to tend your injury."

The uninjured man nodded as he supported his dazed friend. "Come on, Naoto, let's get you a cloth and some ice for your nose."

Naoto nodded woozily as his companion began shuffling him from the alley. "I ope dey execoot dat shick bashtard..." the redhead slurred through his broken nose. "What kind of _monshter_ does dat to a _child_?"

Hitode wanted to scream at the fools, to tell them about the demon, and his brother, and everything else that monster had taken from him. Then Saru chuckled darkly, "Well, looks like Ibiki is going to have even more fun today." This time Hitode really did soil himself.

* * *

Usagi held Naruto as gently as he could while dashing across the rooftops towards the hospital. He hadn't been able to do a very thorough check on Naruto, but his limited first aid skills were more than enough to know that he needed immediate medical attention. Luckily, he had used Tanuki Neiri Jutsu on the boy; otherwise he had no doubt the child would not only still be screaming, but also probably struggling to escape from Usagi, even if he had nothing to fear from the Anbu. Besides, it was very hard to be stealthy when you had a screaming and struggling child with you and the last thing he needed was someone "coming to the child's aid". Whether they were sincere or not didn't really matter at this point.

Landing in front of the main hospital Usagi ran through the doors into the emergency room. Finding the nearest doctor Usagi made his way across the currently empty room to the desk where the man was conversing with a nurse.

The nurse jumped to her feet when she saw the Anbu and the unmoving child cradled to his chest, alerting the doctor to Usagi's presence. "What happened?" the man asked as he began to run a diagnostic jutsu on the small child.

"He was attacked. I don't know how bad the damage is, but he seems to be having trouble breathing." Usagi responded in clipped tones, trying to maintain a professional attitude in spite of the red hot rage he felt both at himself, and the at the bastard who would actually do something like this to a child for no reason.

This almost went out the window when the doctor went to examine the lacerations on Naruto's face and got a good look at who the child was. "Fuck!" The doctor hissed, recoiling in disgust from the child. "Get that thing out of here! I won't let this hospital be tainted by that filth!"

Usagi just stared at him for a moment, honestly indecisive for a moment. On the one hand, the doctors of Konoha had always had the right to refuse any treatments or procedures they considered immoral or unethical. This law was originally put in place so the civilian doctors wouldn't be forced to heal enemy combatants who were set to be tortured for information. It was also meant to appease those who felt it wrong to heal someone set for execution, or to remove healthy organs from prisoners for transplant to Leaf Shinobi. The idea being that doctors wouldn't feel the need to leave the medical practice over the guilt of betraying their own moral beliefs. And with the large number of talented, more understanding Medic-nin that Konoha boasted, such a concession had always seemed rather trivial overall.

On the other hand, the law was not meant to allow doctors to refuse treatment based on a grudge, or prejudice like this one was doing. Even if the man in question didn't see it that way. The problem was that _technically_, the doctor was within his legal rights, even if he was abusing said rights.

Still, Usagi was responsible for Naruto's safety, a mandate given to him by the Sandaime Hokage himself, and he had no doubt that the child needed medical attention. All this flashed through his head during that brief moment, before coming to a decision.

_'Fuck it.'_ Were his thoughts as he channeled chakra to his right hand and grabbed the hand the doctor used to point at Naruto.

A series of cracks and snaps were heard when Usagi vindictively broke the doctor's hand, before snapping his wrist.

The doctor screamed in shock and agony before he dropped to his knees, cradling his hand, and looking up at Usagi in disbelief. The scream also drew the attention of a couple of other doctors and a handful of nurses, who came running into the room. They stopped short when they saw one of their own on his knees in front of an Anbu with a small child cradled in the assassin's arms.

Usagi stepped away from the physician he had…disciplined… and approached the small group of doctors and nurses. _'Well, it's too late to turn back now.'_ He thought with a wry snort and a mental shrug. "This is Naruto Uzumaki" he stated stiffly while holding the child out towards the closer of the two doctors. "He needs immediate medical attention." Usagi finished as he watched for the second doctor's response. The man looked surprised that an Anbu was blocking his path to his injured colleague, before he seemed to realize what Usagi had just said. As soon as he did however, the man's face became resolute.

"I'll have nothing to do with it. The Yondaime may be a hero, but creating this..._thing_ was unforgivable, even for him! As if it weren't bad enough that the other Hidden Villages insist on creating such horrible _abominations _to use as weapons, the Yondaime destroyed that poor child as well? I'm sorry, but I can't condone aiding in the continuation of such barbarism!" For a full thirty seconds after his rant, Usagi just stared at the man.

"Wrong answer." was all the Anbu finally said as he spun in a circle to his left, using his free arm to hit the doctor with the full force of the centrifugal wind-up. It was a very effective technique that utilized the bony part of the lower forearm to hit the target's neck. If performed properly, the hit would land on a spot that forced every muscle in the body to relax for a second or two – good for temporarily stunning an opponent before following up with a more permanent take-down. With as much force as Usagi used though, the blow flipped the man into a partial cartwheel that ended when the doctor's shoulder connected with the floor, followed by the rest of his now unconscious body

The remaining doctor and the nurses gasped as Usagi returned to his previous position. For a moment, he just stared at them. "I'm not going to say it again." He stated coldly.

This seemed to wake the staff from their stupor as the doctor rushed to take the child while a couple of nurses grabbed a gurney for him to place the thankfully still sleeping child on.

Glancing at the two physicians on the floor as well as the trio of nurses who stayed behind to help them, Usagi couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. His actions would not go unpunished that was for sure. Other Hidden Villages might tolerate or even encourage such behavior from their shinobi to their civilians but Konoha most certainly did not. At least, not for something like this. Looking down the hallway at his young charge, he felt a strange sense of determination. What he did was wrong...yet at the same time... right.

Walking back past the two former doctors Usagi went to a water cooler that was set against the wall. Reaching down to the levers, he hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should even bother to take the time. _'Oh, why not?'_ He decided as he stood back up.

Heading back to his charge, Usagi snorted when he passed the downed physicians. "Don't even bother." He ordered amusedly to the trio of nurses who remained with the now injured/unconscious doctors, while forming a series of hand seals. On the last seal, the water in the cooler began to churn chaotically before the plastic container suddenly exploded; spilling water everywhere, which then began to rise up in two places until they formed perfect copies of Usagi.

_'Whoops...'_ he thought sarcastically as the rest of the water left over from his jutsu drained out of the jug.

Continuing down the hall, he chuckled aloud. "Ibiki will be so happy. He's already received two playthings today, and now I'm giving him two more." The nurses gasped as the Mizu Bunshin grabbed the doctors and shunshined away. Despite the severity of the situation, Usagi couldn't resist whistling a merry tune. So what if he put the fear of God into them? Maybe that would remind them that the liberties given to them were just that.

Catching up to his charge and the staff moving him into one of the many rooms on this floor, Usagi took up a position near the door as the doctors -_'huh, there's two of them now…'_- worked on Naruto.

Usagi would remain in the corner until the Hokage arrived, as was the protocol decided for this kind of situation. Usagi flinched slightly as he thought about that little fact. The Sandaime would not be pleased with today's events, that was for sure.

* * *

Sarutobi frowned as he tapped his finger on his desk. Naruto had been hospitalized. Hospitalized! He growled just thinking about it. A barely three and a half year old should _not_ be in the hospital with two broken ribs and a punctured lung. The child had also received a few "minor" injuries including a broken nose, which had been easily set, and a pair of deep cuts on the left side of his face that were not so easily healed. Or at least, not enough to remove the scars that now covered two of his birthmarks. _'As if Naruto needs something _else_ to make him stand out.'_ Sarutobi thought bitterly.

Sarutobi had some satisfaction in knowing that the last few days the former merchant Hitode would be agonizing to say the least. Still, that was nowhere _near_ enough to make up for the knowledge that he had failed Naruto once again. _'How many times have I failed you now? First, the fiasco with the council, then those ignorant fools at the orphanage, and now this.'_ Sarutobi mused grimly. _'Perhaps I need to increase Naruto's security detail? No, no, they've done an excellent job of keeping him safe. This attack probably happened by chance.'_ The usual Anbu details had always been more than enough to deter or intercept any attacks and were loyal enough to follow their Hokage's orders to the letter. In the streets at least. He still couldn't forgive himself for what the caretakers at the orphanage had done to Naruto, or his failure to foresee it.

Oh, Sarutobi knew that logically there was no way he could have known that not only would a caretaker at an orphanage neglect or abuse Naruto, but that almost the entirety of the other workers either took part in it, or turned a blind eye to the abuse. Nor could he blame the Anbu for not suspecting it either. After all, it takes a very paranoid and jaded person to consider that without some kind of proof, and as Sarutobi himself had selected that orphanage, it was likely the Anbu assumed those within had already been vetted by him. An assumption that Sarutobi knew would have been true, if he hadn't allowed himself to get so distracted in the months following the Kyuubi's attack. Still that didn't make him feel any less guilty about it.

Even after three days of interrogations, Ibiki still couldn't provide a complete picture of just what went on in that orphanage when Sarutobi wasn't around. What he did know was more than enough to cause restless nights filled with guilt and doubt. Constant isolation, regularly skipped meals, and verbal abuse were all confirmed, with others merely suspected. The real question was just how bad it was. Hopefully, once the current situation was resolved Ibiki would be able to finish the investigation into the orphanage, and if there was any decency in the world, that would be the extent of the mistreatment.

Sighing, he picked up the Anbu report from the hospital incident involving Usagi. Something he could admit to having mixed feelings on. Skimming over it once again, Sarutobi spoke to the seemingly empty office. "Bring me Usagi."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." was the soft-spoken reply, as the telltale smoke from a Shunshin dispersed in the shadows. Sarutobi knew what he would have to do, as much as he didn't want to.

Looking up he watched as Usagi appeared silently before him.

"You summoned me, Hokage-sama?" the masked Anbu asked with a salute.

Sarutobi gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat Usagi. We have much to discuss." He opened one of his drawers and retrieved some tobacco for his pipe. Lighting it he took a few calming puffs while studying Usagi. "You do know why you're here don't you, Usagi." It was more a statement than a question.

"I can take a guess, Hokage-sama." the Anbu replied stoically.

Sarutobi sighed. "Despite your excellent mission record, and your unwavering loyalty, I cannot overlook your actions at the hospital. On the one hand, I applaud you for what you did for young Naruto. However, Konoha has always been based on a system where civilians respect the shinobi of the village. Not fear. What you did, however well intentioned, was intimidation, pure and simple." He paused to observe the young man in front of him. There was a sense of resignation in the Anbu's body language. _'No doubt he knew from the beginning that his actions would result in this. That he went through with them anyway would be admirable in other circumstances.'_ "Using your skills to_ needlessly_ attack and intimidate the very people who you have sworn to defend is unacceptable. If you were any other ninja you would only receive a severe fine for this. However, you are not any other ninja; you are Anbu. As such, more than any other ninja, you are expected to maintain discipline and professionalism." Sarutobi paused for a moment, and then asked, "Tell me Usagi, why didn't you simply seek out another doctor? Why did you feel that assaulting your own _comrades_ was acceptable?"

"Should I have let Naruto die then?" Usagi retorted heatedly. "Those doctors were abusing their power to satisfy their own hatred or even their _political_ _beliefs_! What else should I have done?"

"You could have taken Naruto to the Anbu Medics." Sarutobi said quietly. "You could have invoked my name to coerce the nurses to at least stabilize Naruto while you found a doctor or Medic-nin for him. Such was certainly within their abilities. Or..." Sarutobi paused once again to level a stern look on Usagi and added some bite to his tone. "You could have retrieved Todoh-sensei from his office, not twenty feet from where you were standing. You remember Todoh-sensei don't you? He was the second doctor you found aiding Naruto when you returned from your showboating with your Mizu Bunshin in the lobby." Sarutobi allowed his voice to grow more heated as he went on, taking notice of Usagi's flinch. "He is also the doctor who has seen to Naruto's medical needs since he was barely a month old. _Surely_ as one of my _elite_ shinobi, you were capable of moving _twenty feet_ before your charge died?"

Sarutobi scoffed tiredly and looked to the file on his desk once again. "It never even occurred to you to find another doctor did it? You allowed your anger, both at yourself for what happened to Naruto, and at the doctors who exercised their rights, to blind you to any other possible course of action. Rather than choosing to accept their refusals and search for another means of completing your objective, you instead decided that _only _they would be acceptable, and you acted to _force_ them to act as you wished. Still I understand that you acted in what you felt were the best interests of Naruto, so there will be no fines for you. That said I _cannot_ allow you to remain in the Anbu either."

A slight tightening of his fists was Usagi's only outward reaction to this news. "I understand, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi nodded, "Turn in your mask and your Anbu uniform to the quartermaster. I've already informed your Captain of your discharge. Report back in three days for reassignment."

* * *

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The now former Anbu stood and saluted for what would be the final time as an Anbu.

As he turned to leave the Hokage spoke up again. "By the way."

Usagi turned back to his leader in time to catch a small scroll. Blinking at the scroll in confusion, he looked back to the Hokage, who was now smiling ever so slightly.

"You've been a Chuunin for some time now, ever since you were recruited for the Anbu four years ago. I believe it's about time for a promotion, don't you?" The Sandaime chuckled. "After all your skills are more than sufficient for your new rank, and you possess the leadership qualities necessary -when you choose to actually use them. You'll find both your promotion paperwork and your new vest in that scroll. Congratulations Special Jounin Genma Shiranui."

Genma bowed to the Hokage, feeling more than slightly bewildered. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." As he left, Genma let out a slightly forced chuckle as he shifted his mask just enough to expose one corner of his mouth. "Well that wasn't so bad." Sticking the end of a senbon in his mouth, he left to complete his discharge from Anbu. He'd expected a hefty punishment for harming those doctors, though he didn't expect to be discharged for it. Nor did he expect a lecture the likes of which he hadn't received in quite a long time. Though looking back with the benefit of hindsight, the Hokage was right. Self-righteous bastards those two doctors might have been, Genma didn't _need _to punish them to get Naruto treatment. He certainly shouldn't have even wasted the _time_ it took to do so, not when his charge's life was on the line. Most of the nurses there were young enough to be easily _persuaded_ by an imposing Anbu to do as he asked, and logically speaking, the odds of getting two doctors who refused to help Naruto in a row were about the same as being struck by lightning after winning a lottery. Or about the same as Tsunade Senju getting a royal flush in a game of poker. So Genma could admit that he'd overreacted, which in turn led to him screwing up pretty badly in more than one way.

Still, he was more or less satisfied with how everything had turned out. On the one hand, he was getting a little tired of Anbu missions, and he got a "free" promotion out of it. On the other hand, he was going to see a serious pay decrease. Not to mention having to interact with a new team that more than likely wouldn't be as experienced as him, seeing as how he had Anbu training. Still, his "punishment" could have been a lot worse really.

No, despite the shitty start this day had had, the ending wasn't so bad…err, well, not as bad as it could have been. Whistling, Genma thought about his new promotion in a more positive light. _'Hmm, I wonder how the ladies will like my new vest? Hehehe… Moritaki's bar here I come.'_ Yes… not that bad a day at all.

* * *

**Translations**

Saru= Monkey

Usagi=Rabbit

Tanuki Neiri Jutsu=Forced Sleep Technique

* * *

**Author's note: **There you go, chapter three. **PLEASE, DO NOT ATTEMPT THE TAKE DOWN MOVE DESCRIBED IN THIS CHAPTER**!

With Hitode, I wasn't sure if I wanted to go into as much detail as I did with him, but I also didn't want him to simply be a random ass Naruto hater either. For those who didn't catch it, there's an insinuation that Hitode was sterile, but rather than even entertain the idea, he decided to blame something/someone else. In this case, Naruto. And when he learned that he'd lost the love of his life to another man, he didn't want to accept that he had no one to blame but himself. So he blamed Naruto again.

Also, before anyone jumps down my throat _again _about the "evil civilian council" Hitode's understanding of how the council works is _wrong_. He'd never been a member himself, never really got involved with how someone became a member, nor did he understand that his brother _had no power whatsoever_. His brother made assumptions when Sarutobi told them about Naruto, and not truly _understanding_ what had happened, Shido allowed his assumptions to lead him to commit _treason_. People don't like thinking beloved family members as criminals of any sort, let alone as _traitors_. It was easier for Hitode in his grief and based on his misunderstanding as to how the council works, to see the Sandaime as a power hungry dictator, who had murdered his brother. And when he learned that he'd just lost his wife for good -despite having lost her half a year earlier- he _snapped _and did something he would otherwise _never dare _to do. He attacked an innocent child.

Basically, this was an unplanned, _isolated _incident, not the start of any "mob attacks" or "fox hunts" or anything else like that. Likewise, the scene with the doctors was _one_ guy who saw Naruto as the Kyuubi, and one doctor who saw Naruto as the victim of a practice so horrible, it would be better for the boy to just die than to be forced to continue on. That Genma got so angry about the situation that he lashed out at said doctors rather then going about doing his job in the most efficent and professional manner possible, while understandable, was not truly _acceptable_ in the grand scheme of things. As a shadowy, mysterious organization that answers only to the Hokage, and is otherwise _above the law, _it would be very easy for this incident to start a growing perception that the Anbu were brutal oppressors and secret police.

That all out of the way, let me know what you think about those scenes, or about the varying reactions of the parents to Naruto. The idea with that was that while some pulled their kids away out of fear, far more were simply going about their lives. They had shopping to do, relatives to visit, meals to cook, etc. As usual, any reviews, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcomed and appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note**

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, if I didn't reply to your reviews, then I don't know what's wrong since I have replied.

Special thanks to my beta Sakiku Torakak once again. All reviews/criticism are welcomed.

Just to forewarn you, there are a lot of flashbacks in this chapter. Without further ado, I give you chapter four of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

_'THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Four**

_Seven Months Later..._

Konohagakure no Sato was a study in contrasts in many ways. Almost since their founding, Konoha had preached of the Will of Fire and the importance of teamwork. That each of Konoha's shinobi, each "leaf" if you will, while incapable of sustaining the "Great Tree" itself, was nonetheless as equally important as the countless other "leaves". That only by all of the "leaves" working together could the "Great Tree" grow truly strong and prosperous. As such, the shinobi of Konoha were expected to work with their teammates under the guidance of their Jounin-sensei to improve their skills and strengths, to cover one another's weaknesses and push each other to their full potential. The strengthening of their teams would strengthen their squads, which in turn would strengthen their platoons, etc. etc. The end result being the Hidden Village that had weathered each of the Great Shinobi Wars and come out in a position of relative strength time and again. Konoha had actually _won _the Third Great Shinobi War, a claim that none of the other Villages could make.

Yet in reality, few of Konoha's teams actually demonstrated that belief. Oh, they worked together almost flawlessly much of the time, and many Konoha shinobi saw their teammates as family in all but blood. But at the same time, few teams were actually _equal_ amongst themselves. The Sandaime's teammates, while powerful and skilled Jounin in their own rights, were certainly not on the same level of the Shinobi no Kami, even during their prime. Nor were the Yondaime's teammates ever able to match his abilities, even as a Genin. In fact, the only two teams that could be said to have come even close to meeting the standards were the Sannin -who were all extremely powerful individually and even more powerful as a team, covering one another's few weaknesses- and the far lesser example of the Ino-Shika-Cho team -which while nowhere near as powerful as the Sannin, was a team whose ability to work together and succeed against all odds was the source of their legend.

Beyond that, despite the Sandaime often describing Konoha as a family, when the legendary Sakumo Hatake abandoned a mission -a mission of extreme importance whose failure many attributed to sparking off the Third Great Shinobi War- in order to save his teammates, Konoha almost _universally_ turned against him, including those very teammates he had saved. Teammates that Konoha had always claimed should have been like family to Sakumo. And this wasn't a brief moment of ridicule in a moment of anger either. Sakumo was shunned and _hated_ by the Village as a whole for months, to the point that the man, Konoha's legendary White Fang who overshadowed even the Sannin, fell into a depression and _killed_ himself.

And yet when the man's son, Kakashi Hatake abandoned an _equally_ crucial mission to save his teammates years later during the _very same_ war his father was blamed for starting, the village of Konoha all but _idolized_ him for it. Kakashi was even held up as an example by Konoha as a true follower of the Will of Fire, of a shinobi the village could be _proud_ of. All of this despite the fact that were it not for the intervention of Minato Namikaze himself, the crucial mission would have been a failure and Konoha could very well have _lost_ the war.

Beyond Konoha's belief system, was its contrasting layout and design itself. As the Hidden Village with the largest population among the Great Five, Konoha's layout was at once sprawling and cluttered. Wide streets allowed for easy flow of traffic, both foot and mounted, while countless alleys crisscrossed the village with little to no order or purpose. Indeed, while some alleys served the purpose of connecting streets, many others were dead ends, or doubled back to the very street one had just left. In fact, few if any of Konoha's actual citizens could claim to know the layout of Konoha's alleys with complete certainty. Which was actually the point, designed as it was to confuse and disorient any invaders who actually managed to breach the walls in any meaningful force.

During the day, the streets were filled to the brim with both travelers and locals going about their lives with an industrious determination that would make ants envious. Once the sun had set however, much of Konoha would almost appear to be a ghost town to the untrained eye. With the exception of places such as bars and restaurants, most of the businesses were closed and sat empty. Those who would normally work or frequent such establishments were at home with their families, attending meals or seeing to whatever household chores remained. As the night wore on, those families would retire to bed, leaving much of the village darkened and seemingly deserted save for the occasional patrolling KMP officers -who were seen only so they could act as a visible deterrent to any would-be criminals, while many other shinobi darted about unseen as they patrolled the sleeping Village.

If an untrained observer happened to be watching this particular night, they'd be treated to a strange sight. Within one of the seemingly pointless and abandoned alleyways, two shadows carefully and discreetly made their way in from the street as if searching for someone. No sooner did they arrive then a third shadowy figure seemed to emerge from the surrounding darkness with only the slightest whisper of sound from his cloak. At the appearance of this newcomer, the first two shadows took guarded stances, wary of a possible ambush or betrayal. The taller of the two stood about five foot ten, with a body type that seemed to be that of a former athlete, still strong, but no longer at the peak it once was.

The second was a half-foot shorter and seemed to be all wiry flesh on top of bone. Despite this, they still stood with the casual grace of leopards, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

All that could be seen of the third party was a white glint from under the hood of their black full body robe. Judging by their size, one could assume the robed figure was most likely male, however, in the ninja world, not only can appearances be deceiving... they usually are.

"Have you considered our offer?" The taller of the two shadows questioned in a deep baritone. There was no response from the newcomer. "You _know_ this is in the village's best interest," the man continued slowly, as if driving a point home that he wanted to be sure was considered. "If we don't act now, there might never be another chance. We can only fool the Hokage for so long. Eventually he will uncover our motives and crush us. If that happens, he will never lower his guard again. You _know_ this must be done."

For a moment, the sound of the wind was the only answer, and the shadowed couple feared complete failure. Then a whispered "Very well." drifted from beneath the edge of the hood.

The older man spoke again determinedly. "Alright then, we'll act in two days. Remember the plan and be prepared. No matter what else happens, _he must die._" As soon as those final, deliberate words were spoken, the pair seemingly vanished from view.

As the moon slowly appeared from behind the clouds, the lone shadow stepped out of the alley, a small amount of light penetrating the depths of their hood to reveal the white porcelain of an Anbu mask, before the assassin darted away as well.

* * *

The morning sun slowly drifted in through the window of a child's room. As the light reached the bed, it covered the face of a small, four year old boy. Scrunching up his face, said boy attempted to bury himself in his covers and reclaim the bliss of sleep. Alas, this was not to be as the voice of an elderly woman echoed up the stairs. "Naruto-chan! Breakfast in ten minutes!" Grumbling, Naruto eventually tumbled out of bed.

Stumbling to his dresser, Naruto began to dress himself before a picture frame caught his eye. The picture was small and contained a trio of old people and one small blond haired child. Naruto smiled happily as he finished dressing.

Why was he so happy you may ask? For no other reason than that another beautiful day was about to start, and he was loved by his grandparents. An added bonus was that the feeling that he could only compare to being watched was gone today and that was a rare treat for him.

Naruto thought back to what his life was once like. Back before his grandparents came and took him away from the orphanage, his life had been very different.

Back then, he had lived in almost constant fear. Some of his first memories involving human contact had been of harsh words screamed at him by one of his "caretakers" Words that he had been too young to understand at the time, and had all but forgotten since, but the anger and rage behind them had been all too understood even at that age. Of course, in a way he craved those moments, brief as they were, simply because he wasn't _alone_. The rest of his time had been dominated by being locked in his room away from the other children, or anyone else for that matter. The only break in his isolation had come from the meals that he had been given every so often and the semi-occasional slap. Usually the only time he would be allowed out was to wash and use the bathroom. The exception to this had been whenever the person he dubbed "Old Man" had come around. For some reason on those occasions, the caretakers would bring him out, bathe him, and make sure he was "presentable" -whatever that meant- and put him in the visitation room. Then the Old Man would come in and spend some time with him, play a few games and read a storybook or two, before leaving again. He could still remember his first encounter with the Old Man.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto was hustled into a room he'd never been in before -what he would later learn was called the visitation room-by a strangely anxious man. Looking up at the tall brunette caretaker, whose name he had never learned, Naruto asked, "What we do?"

The middle-aged man looked down at him and somewhat nervously grunted, "Just shut up and do what you're told. You better be on your best behavior for the Hokage, or else no food for a week." Naruto just nodded his head quickly, keeping such questions as "what's a Hokage" to himself. He'd learned to avoid asking questions when possible. Then he was left alone in the room.

A few minutes later, the door opened again and a man walked in. He had kind eyes and a gentle smile, something that Naruto had never seen before that he could remember. While short for an adult, he still towered above little Naruto, and was dressed in red and white robes and wore a funny looking hat. What really caught his attention though, was that the man was _old_!

Intrigued, Naruto barely registered when the visitor greeted him.

"Hello Naruto-chan, how are you?" the man asked kindly.

Naruto just stared at him curiously for a moment before simply stating, "You're old."

The man just burst out laughing, a sound that seemed to soothe Naruto's soul and gave him a warm feeling. Smiling, Naruto picked up a nearby ball and brought it to the Hokage. "Wanna play?" Naruto asked shyly as he held up the toy. His new friend smiled as he ruffled Naruto's hair.

* * *

**End Flashback**

From that day forth, the Hokage would always be simply, Old Man to Naruto.

The isolation, erratic feeding schedules, and verbal abuse had continued until Naruto was three when he finally found the courage - and the vocal skill - to ask the nice old man who visited him about it.

Surprisingly, the Old Man had gotten really angry when he told him about it, though for the first time, though most of the surprise came from the fact that the anger wasn't directed at him.

Naruto didn't really remember what happened after the Old Man had done something with his hands because he had gotten real sleepy, but when he had woken up most of the caretakers had been gone. When Naruto asked what had happened, the Old Man had just smiled sort of sadly at him and promised that everything would be better from then on.

And in a way, it was. While the new caretakers never locked him up like the old ones had done and they always fed him an _enormous_ amount of food every day, they were still really mean and didn't talk to him much, except to tell him to get out during the day and to make sure to be back before nightfall. What was strange was that several times, the door would be locked when he returned even if the sun was still up, and no amount of knocking would get it open -though, oddly enough, whenever he fell asleep outside, he'd wake up back in his bed in the orphanage. Also odd was how that stopped happening after a few more of the caretakers went away.

But that was often pushed to the back of his mind by another realization. It was _scary_ outside. While the previous caretakers had been really mean to him, in a way they were nothing compared to the villagers. Most of the time they just looked at him with these really angry eyes. Other times they would seem to ignore him no matter what he did. The worst was the way some people would yell and scream like he did something wrong. Whenever he asked what he did, people would seem to get even angrier. Every so often, someone would even try to _hit_ him as well. Most of the time, he was able to run away from these people and somehow lose them in the crowds, or the people yelling at him would suddenly fall over and one time a man had just _disappeared_ right in front of his eyes.

Only once, when he escaped from one villager just to run into another a block or so away, did anyone cause him actual physical harm. He was sure that a passing Anbu was the only reason he had survived that encounter, and he still had nightmares about alleys and an angry man with a knife from time to time. He even had two prominent scars on his left cheek as a permanent reminder of that day.

He grimaced when he thought about that. The scars covered his top left birthmark and the middle left one, leaving just the bottom one untouched. That time had easily been the worst moment of his life.

Still, as horrible and terrifying as the outside could sometimes be, at least he could come and go as he pleased, unlike at the orphanage. In fact, once he learned to be careful and to draw as little attention as possible -as in, don't talk to anyone if he could avoid it and stay out of sight- the looks and sneers became almost nonexistent.

Eventually, the number of incidents dropped to the point where he actually had to concentrate to remember the last one, only happening when he got lost in thought or stopped paying attention to his surroundings and bumped into someone, although even that became rarer. The fact that he could rarely shake that feeling of being watched added to this. What was strange is that even though that feeling had been proven right many times, it was almost _always_ there including when he was alone. How was that even possible?

Still, strange or not it had helped him to eventually learn how to avoid most of the dangers outside the orphanage, even if it was only accomplished through a near constant state of fear and paranoia.

Then came the day that was the turning point in his short life. Just six short months ago, the Old Man came back to see him at the orphanage, only this time, he wasn't alone. With him were a man and woman who looked like they were almost as old as the Old Man was!

* * *

**Flashback**

"Naruto," the Old Man said gently, "these are Takeshi and Susuki Sanada. They've expressed an interest in adopting you."

At first, he didn't understand. What they were saying and what his caretakers had always told him were two completely different things. They wanted to adopt him? No one wanted to adopt him. Not even the Old Man, the only one who had ever been nice to him, had wanted to adopt him. Not that he could blame him of course, seeing as how he was a little monster; he was just glad that the Old Man treated him nicely.

"How come?" He asked curiously, causing the Old Man and the Sanadas to frown slightly.

"What do you mean, Naruto-chan?" Takeshi asked.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "Nobody wans me cause 'm a monster, so why you?"

Susuki made a tsking sound before scooping him up and setting him on her lap. "Naruto-chan, you are not a monster. You're an adorable little boy who has been treated very unfairly. Takeshi and I want to help you, and give you the childhood you deserve."

Takeshi nodded with a smile. "She's right Naruto-chan, we wish to adopt you because you deserve a better life and we would like to be the ones to give you one."

Naruto didn't believe them at first, looking to the Old Man for reassurance.

The Old Man knelt in front of him and gently put his hand on Naruto's head. "It's true Naruto. They really want you to become a part of their family. I promise you, they will love you and take care of you." Naruto looked up at the Old Man's gentle and kind smile.

Naruto knew he could believe the Old Man, but he just couldn't wrap his head around the idea that someone actually _wanted_ to be with him. The Sanada's were old, true, but they still weren't the Old Man, so why would they want to be with him? Even the Old Man didn't want to be around him all the time.

Even as the Old Man and the Sanadas filled out all of the necessary paperwork to officially adopt him, Naruto tried to figure out why? Outside of the Old Man, no adult had ever _wanted_ to be around Naruto, so the idea that these two old people would just decide that they wanted him to actually _live_ with them as part of their family was knew that adults were supposed to always be right, but the only adults who were ever nice to him were the Old Man and now, the Sanadas. _'Maybe you got ta be really old before you stop being so mean?'_ After all most of the caretakers were pretty young, and they were all really mean. He was broken out of his musings by Takeshi's baritone voice.

"Naruto." The elderly man kneeled down in front of him again. As he looked up Naruto was surprised to find that at some point he had hidden himself behind the Old Man's leg. Peering around his robes, Naruto looked to Takeshi as he held out his hand.

"Would you like to go get something to eat before we show you your new home?" Takeshi asked as Susuki came around and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"We can go anywhere you like." Susuki added gently. Naruto chewed his lip uncertainly, before looking up at the Old Man.

"It's alright Naruto; I'll come with you and show you that you have nothing to be afraid of." Looking to Takeshi and Susuki, the Old Man nodded and let Susuki scoop Naruto into her arms.

"Now, where should we go eat Naruto-chan? What's your favorite food?" Susuki asked cheerfully as she carried Naruto out of the orphanage for the last time, with Takeshi and the Old Man following.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably, unused to being carried like this, before Susuki smiled reassuringly at him, "Don't be afraid Naruto-chan, go ahead and put your arms around my neck. I promise I won't bite."

Slowly lifting his arms, Naruto uncertainly placed them around the woman's neck.

As she shifted him in her arms so his head was nestled on her shoulder, Naruto couldn't help but notice that it felt different being in her arms than it did when the Old Man hugged him. Maybe you had to get to know someone before you could get that feeling? Or maybe it was because Susuki felt like she was all bone?

Curious about that, Naruto shyly asked, "Umm, Susuki-san, how come you feel so bony?"

For brief, terrifying moment, Naruto thought he saw something in her eyes. Something that scared him down to his core. Before he had a chance to figure out what he was seeing, he blinked and whatever he thought he saw was gone, leaving Naruto to wonder if he actually saw anything at all.

"Well Naruto-chan," Susuki started, "it's just the way I am. The older I get the...bonier I get. But you really shouldn't ask people things like that. Its rude and you might hurt their feelings doing that."

"Oh." Naruto didn't really understand her explanation; really, it just left him wanting to ask why again. Then again, maybe the reason she didn't answer him was because he hurt her feelings? That just made Naruto feel terrible. After all, he knew from experience that feelings could hurt just as bad as scrapes and bruises.

When he realized that he might have hurt her feelings, after she had been so nice to him, it made Naruto feel even worse.

Shrinking in on himself, Naruto tried to think of how he could make this right. He remembered seeing kids in the park being kissed by their moms and they always seemed to feel better afterward. Maybe that would work for Susuki-san's feelings? Then again, he never saw any of those kids kissing their moms, so maybe it only worked one way? Desperate to show that he wasn't a monster and that he didn't mean to hurt her feelings Naruto decided to just give it a try. Leaning in a little closer, he laid a kiss on Susuki-san's cheek. "M'sorry." Naruto mumbled wretchedly. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Susuki-san. I promise I won't ask again."

Susuki looked surprised as she stopped in the street. "That's alright Naruto-chan, you didn't hurt my feelings. You were just curious, that's all. You just need to be careful to make sure you don't accidentally hurt someone. And you don't have to be so formal with me either. We're family now, so please, call me Obaachan."

Naruto blushed slightly and buried his head back in her shoulder, but not before shyly stammering "A-alright... Susuki-Obaachan."

Looking over her shoulder, he saw Takeshi-sa-err Takeshi-Ojiisan looking at Susuki-Obaachan and him with a smile before turning back to his conversation with the Old Man. Something about the kind of wood that made the best pipes or something. It seemed pretty boring to Naruto, but the Old Man sure looked excited though.

"So Naruto-chan, you never told me what your favorite food was." Susuki-Obaachan asked as they approached a nice looking restaurant.

"Um, I like ice cream." Naruto offered. After all, ice cream was one of the best treats ever, as long as you didn't eat it too fast. Then it just hurt really bad.

Takeshi-Ojiisan laughed as he joined the conversation, "Well, maybe we can get you some for dessert. But you'll have to make sure you eat all your vegetables."

Naruto blinked owlishly. "My what?"

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

It took some time to get used to his new life, but finally he was truly content with his life, and while the rest of the village still treated him pretty much the same, he could now proudly say that he had a family and a home to call his own.

The icing on the cake was that his Ojiisan and Obaachan had been ninja when they were younger. Takeshi-Ojiisan had even started teaching him how to throw kunai and shuriken, though he was real stingy about it and wouldn't let him use any real ones. Takeshi also taught him this neat trick to make a leaf float, though Naruto thought the trick with pulling a coin out of his ear was better. Even if his Ojiisan refused to tell him how he did that!

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto was sitting in the back yard, attempting to work on his letters. He had come quite far since Susuki-Obaachan first sat him down and began explaining how to tell all the different letters apart. That was the easy part, and had only taken him about a month to accomplish. The hard part was learning how to draw them. Still he was making quite a deal of progress now that he had an actual teacher instead of sneaking glances at the books of other orphans. Especially since most of those books had been far too advanced for a three year old. However, he was still a three year old, so he was quickly growing bored. Thankfully, he could always count on his Ojiisan to liven things up a bit.

"Naruto come here for a moment." Speak of the devil.

Naruto jumped to his feet excitedly. "Hai, Ojiisan!"

Takeshi-Ojiisan ruefully shook his head at him. "Naruto-chan, if you're going to be a ninja, you're going to have to learn how to be a little quieter."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms, "I can be plenty quiet when I want to, Ojiisan! Just you wait; I'll be a great ninja some day!" Of course, Naruto's declaration might have sounded more convincing if he hadn't shouted it.

Takeshi-Ojiisan chuckled warmly, "I'm sure you will, Naruto-chan. Now, let me show you a little trick." He plucked a leaf from the small tree they were sitting under.

"Are you gonna teach me da coin trick now? Huh? Are ya? Are ya?" Naruto jumped up and down excitedly. _'Yes, coin trick here I come!'_

Naruto could already see it; the other kids would flock to see the Amazing Ninja Naruto Uzumaki, Master of the Disappearing Coin! He cackled evilly while rubbing his hands together.

"No Naruto, I have something else to teach you." Slumping in disappointment, he nevertheless watched curiously as Takeshi-Ojiisan placed the leaf in the center of his palm. Suddenly the leaf lifted two or three inches off his palm and began spinning in a circle.

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment while he thought about learning this trick. He could see it; the other kids would flock to see the Amazing Ninja Naruto Uzumaki, Master of the Floating Leaf! Yeah right, that just sounded lame!

Naruto pouted, "Ojiisan! Dat's boring! Teach me da coin trick, dat's way cooler!"

Takeshi-Ojiisan just chuckled and shook his head, "Now, now, Naruto, you can't be a great ninja with just cool moves. Besides, this will help you when you join the academy."

Naruto crossed his arms and turned away, stomping his foot. "No! I wanna learn da coin trick!"

Takeshi-Ojiisan sighed and closed his eyes, taking deep breathes, seeming to be deep in thought. Takeshi-Ojiisan always said he was meditating to help him think whenever he did this. Naruto didn't understand how deep breathes helped someone think, but that's what Takeshi-Ojiisan always said when Naruto asked.

Naruto thought furiously himself, trying to will Takeshi-Ojiisan to give in to his demands. _'C'mon coin trick, teach me da coin trick, I promise if I get ta learn da coin trick I'll never complain about vegetables again...well not fer awhile anyway.'_

Then he saw Takeshi-Ojiisan smirking as he opened his eyes. "I'll tell you what Naruto, if you can learn this exercise, I'll let you start learning how to throw kunai and shuriken. How's that?"

Naruto's eyes widened at this. _'I'll get ta play with kunai and shuriken? Yes! Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome!'_ "OK! What are we waiting for? Let's get started, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement.

"Alright Naruto, calm down and listen." Once Takeshi-Ojiisan finished his explanation on chakra, he put the leaf in his hand and explained the leaf floating exercise.

For his part Naruto tuned out most of the lecture, too busy thinking about how awesome a ninja he was going to be. _'Heh, kunai are so cool...Ima be a awesome ninja and once I get this leaf thingy down, I'll be able ta get kunai and shuriken! I'll be so great dat Ojiisan will beg to teach me the coin trick!'_

Naruto returned his attention to Takeshi-Ojiisan just in time to hear "And that is what chakra is. Now in order to float the leaf you have to..."

A few minutes later and Naruto was ready to give the leaf exercise a try.

"Right! I'll have this down in no time, Ojiisan!" Naruto cheered as he jumped up and down while trying to grab a leaf off one of the lowest branches. Sadly, said branch was still a full foot above Naruto's outstretched hand. But this didn't slow him in the slightest and he jumped again…and again…and again.

Sticking his tongue between his teeth, Naruto backed up, prepared to try a running start this time. Before he could begin his master plan however, his Ojiisan grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him up to his target branch. Pouting, Naruto snatched a leaf from the tree sullenly stating, "I woulda gotten it."

"I know Naruto, but this way you won't tire yourself out." Takeshi-Ojiisan said gently. "Now go ahead and give it a try."

"Right!" Naruto said excitedly as he placed the leaf in the center of his palm. Taking a deep breath, Naruto stared at the leaf…and nothing happened. A few minutes passed…and nothing happened. A twitch began to form on Naruto's forehead as he stared at the leaf. Finally he snapped, "Ojiisan! Nothing's happening!"

"Try using more chakra." Was the patient reply.

Frowning, Naruto focused everything he had on that leaf. Just when he was about to give up, the leaf shot out of his hand, spinning wildly, before falling to the earth.

Naruto stared wide-eyed for a moment, shocked that he'd actually done it, before grinning and spinning to face Takeshi. "I did it, Ojiisan! I did it, I did it!"

Takeshi-Ojiisan just laughed. "Not quite Naruto. You were supposed to make the leaf spin just above your hand, not blast it off into space." When Naruto pouted he continued his explanation. "You need to find the right amount of chakra to spin the leaf, without sending it flying. Just keep trying and I know you'll get it in no time."

Naruto beamed at the praise and grabbed the leaf again.

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

It had taken over a month, but Naruto had been able to master the leaf floating exercise. More than once, he had thought about giving up on the whole thing in frustration. After all, what kind of ninja ever needs to float a leaf? All he needed were some kunai and he'd be an awesome ninja. Oh, and some neat shuriken too!

But, he had persevered, and one day he finally mastered the technique.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Ojiisan! Ojiisan! I did it, I got it ta work right!" Naruto yelled excitedly as he ran into the kitchen where the Old Man was talking with his grandparents. "Look, look!" He demanded, holding up his hand with a leaf in it.

Susuki-Obaachan clapped her hands excitedly when the leaf spun at just the right speed and height as Ojiisan and the Old Man -who was visiting today- smiled at the sight.

"Very good Naruto." Takeshi-Ojiisan said while the Old Man added kindly, "I'm amazed at your progress Naruto. Most children wait until the academy before learning this exercise."

Naruto beamed at the praise from his family. Truly, he never felt as happy as when his grandparents and the Old Man were proud of him. It was the greatest feeling in the world to him. _'Nothing could make this moment any bett-.'_ Naruto gasped in realization. "YES!" he screamed at the top of his impressive lungs, actually startling his audience. "Now I get to play with kunai, just like you promised, Ojiisan!"

It suddenly got really quiet as Naruto watched his Obaachan's face started to turn red. Without warning, Naruto found himself in the Old Man's arms being whisked out of the kitchen and through the living room to the door.

"Old Man, where are we going?" Naruto asked curiously. For a moment he could have sworn he heard the Old Man mutter, "To the nearest bomb shelter."

"Huh?" was Naruto's intelligent response. Looking over the Old Man's shoulder he saw his Obaachan slowly advancing on his Ojiisan who, for some reason, was backed into a corner and waving his hands defensively.

The Old Man coughed somewhat sheepishly, drawing his attention away from his grandparents. "What do you say we go to the park for a while, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto blinked in thought for a moment. On the one hand, his Ojiisan was supposed to start teaching him how to throw kunai like he promised. On the other hand, the Old Man didn't visit often, and it had been a while since they went to the park.

It didn't take him long to reach a decision. "Sure!" He chirped happily. After all, the kunai could wait until tomorrow, and the Old Man was here now.

* * *

**Flashback End**

His Obaachan had also started teaching him a little bit about cooking and eating healthy while he helped her prepare supper. Though, "help" was such a generous term to apply to Naruto's enthusiastic efforts.

Still, Naruto did wish she'd stop making him eat those nasty green things that she insisted were good for him. She also made him take these pills every morning called "vidamans".

The hardest part of adjusting to his new life was learning which words were okay to use and which weren't. Susuki-Obaachan got real mad the first time he swore in her presence -not that he had understood what the words meant at the time, as he was just repeating words he'd heard from the caretakers and villagers.

* * *

**Flashback**

It was raining that day, so Naruto was stuck inside, and he had been forbidden from playing with kunai in the house.

The Old Man had come by for a visit again, though those were starting to become less frequent, much to Naruto's disappointment.

Naruto was staring sullenly out the window at the rain that was trapping him inside. His grandparents and the Old Man were sitting around the coffee table drinking tea and talking about boring old people stuff. Feeling frustrated, Naruto sealed his doom.

"Fucking rain." He sighed in annoyance. Not one second after he finished, Naruto heard a gasp from behind him. Turning around he was greeted by two fearful old men.

"Naruto Sanada!" his Obaachan barked as she rose to her feet.

At that exact moment, Takeshi-Ojiisan jumped to his feet and ran to the nearest window shouting, "Every man for himself!" as he jumped out the now open window. Not a second later the Old Man disappeared in a poof of smoke. Had Naruto been outside -and had he had the proper skills- he would have noticed a trio of male Anbu running for their lives. He also might have seen a sole, Hebi masked female Anbu who stayed behind, muttering "Pussies." at the retreating males.

Turning to question his Obaachan, Naruto felt a hand grab his ear and twist. "Ow ow ow ow!" he yelped until he looked up at his Obaachan. When he did, his protests died off with a terrified squeak. Where his Obaachan once stood was now a giant, eyes glowing with demonic fury. Dragging him by his ear, Susuki-Obaachan made her way to the downstairs bathroom and sat him down on the toilet.

"Stay right there, Naruto Sanada." she growled as she began to fill the tub with water.

_'Uh oh...she only says my name like that when I'm in big trouble.'_ Naruto eyed the door wondering if he was fast enough to get away. That all ended when Susuki-Obaachan got up and firmly closed the door. Turning back to him, Susuki-Obaachan presented him with a...bar of soap?

"Open up." She instructed firmly.

Naruto blinked. "Wha-" was as far as he got before he found the bar shoved into his mouth. "Mmph" trying to protest Naruto somehow found his head underwater. He could feel his Obaachan's hand on the back of his head, and a moment later, her other hand began to shove the soap around the insides of his mouth.

A few moments later and Naruto was sitting in front the tub coughing and trying to get the taste of soap out of his mouth.

"Now, I trust you'll be watching your language from now on, right Naruto." Susuki-Obaachan wasn't asking.

Naruto hurriedly nodded his head. "Good. Now let's get you cleaned up." Susuki-Obaachan set the soap down and grabbed a towel off the rack.

Spitting once more Naruto made a very crucial mistake. He opened his mouth. "That soap tastes like shit, Obaachan." He looked up to find Susuki-Obaachan staring at him.

"I guess we're going to be here for a while." She deadpanned as she put the towel down and picked back up the soap.

Naruto could only whimper.

* * *

_Bar several blocks away..._

"You know...I can't help but feel a little ashamed right now." a Tora masked Anbu stated as he huddled around a table with his Kage, fellow Anbu, and his subject's adopted Grandfather.

"Would you rather be back there? With her?" his Saru masked comrade asked dryly.

"Now, now Saru, don't be too hard on him. It is Tora's first assignment after all." Sarutobi chided.

Takeshi interrupted them before they could continue. "Gentlemen, please. A moment of silence for my young grandson." Everyone at the table bowed there head for a moment.

The silence was broken by the three Anbu chorusing "Poor bastard." while Sarutobi shook his head sadly.

* * *

**End flashback**

Needless to say, he didn't swear around her again. Although, he did try to ask his Ojiisan what the words meant, but he just said the Naruto was too young to understand.

Still, he was happy with his new life. Smiling happily, he bounded down the stairs in his pajamas and ran to the kitchen where his Obaachan was making breakfast and his Ojiisan was reading the paper. "Morning!" He called as he entered the kitchen.

"That's "good morning" Naruto-chan." Susuki-Obaachan corrected him gently. She laughed quietly while Naruto pouted, before he took his seat at the table.

"Hey, Ojiisan, are we gonna do some more ninja stuff today?" Naruto asked excitedly.

Takeshi-Ojiisan just chuckled good-naturedly. "We'll see, Naruto-chan. Maybe after your reading lessons."

At that point, Susuki-Obaachan walked up and set a few pills and a glass of orange juice on the table in front of Naruto. He made a face as he looked at the pills. They really were nasty things, and Naruto never failed to half choke on them every time.

Before he could open his mouth to complain, his Obaachan sternly told him, "Take your vitamins, Naruto."

Grumbling, he scooped up the pills and put them in his mouth all at once, not paying attention to the different taste than usual, before drinking half his class of juice to wash them down. "Blech, why do you make me swallow those nasty things, Obaachan?" He asked, expecting the usual lecture on how they were good for him and would help him grow up to be big and strong.

So he was surprised when she pleasantly informed him with a smile on her face "Don't worry Naruto, you won't need them any more after today."

"Really?" he exclaimed jumping up in his seat.

Seeing his grandparents nod, he was about to shout in joy when he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest. Clutching his chest with one hand and coughing uncontrollably into the other, he fell back in his seat before staring at his now blood covered hand in shock and terror. "Obaa- cough -chan-cough cough, what's -cough hap-" he started whimpering before feeling a wave of vertigo pass through him. Still coughing he fell to the ground, an emotion he hadn't felt in months surging through him. Fear.

Reaching desperately for his grandparents, he watched as a look passed through their eyes, a look that he hadn't seen since his beating by that merchant. Complete disgust and satisfaction passed through their eyes as they looked down on him.

"You know," his Ojiisan started conversationally, calmly folding up his newspaper. "It wasn't easy getting Hokage-sama to let us adopt you."

His Obaachan spoke next, "We really didn't think it would take this long for you to relax around us either."

"Wh- cough- why?" Naruto asked as tears filled his eyes while a pain that had nothing to do with what they had fed him tore through his chest.

"Because you deserve to die!" Susuki hissed angrily as she took a threatening step towards him, before halting at a gesture from Takeshi.

"You killed our son, his wife, and our unborn grandchild. And if you're not stopped, you'll do it again." Takeshi stated stoically, almost mechanically. "So today, we are avenging them and putting an end to your threat simultaneously. What's more is that we'll get away with it too."

At this, Susuki burst into tears, before burying her face in her hands and letting out a wail. "Oh Hokage-sama, it's all my fault!" She sobbed so hard that even Naruto thought she was telling the truth for a moment, before the pain reminded him of just why he was on the floor. "I should have been more careful, I should have checked his vitamins to make sure they weren't tampered with!" She sobbed wretchedly, "Oh my poor little Naruto-chan!" And just like that, the tears stopped and her sneer returned.

Naruto's vision began to blur as the pain slowly transitioned into a sort of cold numbness. Just as he was about to pass out however, he felt something change within him.

Suddenly, the numbness began to recede as a rush of energy and strength that he'd never experienced before flowed through him._ 'What… what's happening?' _He wondered fearfully. He stumbled to his feet as Takeshi and Susuki gasped at the sight of red chakra beginning to drift off Naruto.

Still coughing, he shoved the table with his newfound strength, knocking Susuki to the floor as he began to run towards the front door, screaming to the best of his ability while the poison still attacked his body.

He barely made it six steps before Takeshi appeared in front of him.

Faster than he could react, Takeshi backhanded Naruto across the face, breaking his jaw and causing him mind-numbing pain. As Naruto fell to the floor, Takeshi kicked him in the side, launching him across the room and through a cabinet. Naruto's flight was stopped when he smashed into the wall hard enough to leave a dent twice the size of his body.

As he coughed up even more blood, Takeshi advanced on him with wide, almost unseeing eyes. Looking up, he saw Takeshi nonchalantly strapping on the claws he had once shown Naruto on his right hand. There were three jagged claws, each one about eight inches long and ended if a cruel looking barbed tip.

"You just couldn't make it easy, could you?"

Half blinded by the pain in his side, Naruto could only watch as Takeshi advanced on his quivering body.

"All you had to do was just die quietly, to accept what needed to be done for the good of the village!" Takeshi growled in a steadily growing rage. Reaching Naruto he raised his claws, intending to skewer the young blond. "Just die!" he screamed with just a hint of panic.

Time seemed to slow down for Naruto as Takeshi's claws descended towards him. Fumbling around and grabbing a chunk of broken wood from the cabinet, Naruto instinctively thrust it at Takeshi in desperation, trying to fend him off, even as he squeezed his eyes shut in terror.

He felt a jerk and then heard Takeshi make a surprised sound before the wood was ripped from his hand, followed by a loud thump and Susuki's scream.

Opening his eyes he saw a gasping and gurgling Takeshi almost on top of him, twitching weakly in a rapidly expanding pool of blood. But that wasn't what caught his eye. It was the piece of wood he saw sticking out of Takeshi's ribs just before the man suddenly went still. _'I…I killed him. I actually... What have I done?'_

Before he could think any further, a still screaming Susuki knocked him back to the ground and began strangling him.

"You bastard!" She screamed in his face, teary eyes wide with despair and hatred. "You bastard, you BASTARD, just DIE you FUCKING BASTARD!"

Naruto tried desperately to pry her hands away from his throat as painful coughs still racked his body. Unable to free himself from the larger and much stronger woman, he began to panic again and desperately looked around through rapidly darkening vision for something, anything that could help him. As he gasped for breath, his gaze landed on Takeshi's right arm, or more specifically, the claws that still adorned it.

Somehow knowing that his mysterious strength had not yet abandoned him, Naruto reached out and grabbed onto Takeshi's wrist, before bringing the elder's fist smashing into the side of Susuki's head with all of his strength.

Unfortunately, he didn't close his eyes this time as he did with Takeshi. The sight of the blades passing through her head would be the last thing he saw before passing out from a combination of poison, broken ribs, a severely bruised throat, blood loss and lack of oxygen. And he would carry that sight with him for the rest of his life, the image burned into his head, never to fade or dull with age. Always haunting him.

* * *

When he bolted awake several hours later, he found himself in a hospital bed. He recognized the room by scent as much as by sight from his rare visits in the past, instantly knowing of only one place that reeked of chemicals and sterile surroundings like this place did. Sighing, he instinctively knew what this meant. It wasn't a nightmare. His grandpar- no, the _Sanadas_ had tricked him and tried to murder him.

He curled up in a ball, crying out in pain as his ribs shifted painfully. Then he began to cry softly. He had never felt a hurt like this before. Despite what they had done he had loved them, and they had tried to _kill_ him…and he… he _had_ killed them.

Sobbing he buried his face in his pillow before freezing in terror as he heard the door open.

He didn't stay frozen for long though, as he jumped out of the bed, ripping out an IV and heart monitor in the process. Once free he ran as far from the door as he could, staring with wide, terrified eyes at the doorway.

Standing there was the Old Man, who stopped just inside the room and gazed at Naruto with sad eyes.

* * *

Sarutobi stared at the reports in a seething rage. _'How could I have been so blind, so naive?'_

This was an unmitigated disaster. An attempted murder of a young child -who was also a Jinchuuriki, the last known Uzumaki, and the son of the Yondaime Hokage- two retired -not to mention respected- ninja with decades of experience and loyal service to the village were dead, an Anbu operative who had been a part of Naruto's guard detail was missing, and the child being the only known witness to what happened inside the Sanada house.

He sighed as he shifted his eyes to Naruto's medical report. Three broken ribs, a broken jaw, severe bruising around the throat, consistent with strangulation, severe blood loss, and an undetermined amount of powerful poison. He scanned the report before sighing again. _'So much for keeping his healing a secret.'_ His ribs were already two thirds of the way healed, and his jaw was half way healed according to the last report.

Unfortunately, he couldn't be sure if Naruto's healing extended to replenishing his blood, seeing as the doctors hooked him up to a blood packet almost immediately upon arrival. It was the same with the poison, as they had also pumped his stomach.

Whether they would have worked so diligently if he hadn't been looking over their shoulders while a pair of Anbu flanked him was debatable.

Although it seemed that Usagi's actions seven months ago had made an impact on the hospital staff, as while there were still grimaces of distaste, most of the staff was nothing but professional when dealing with the young Jinchuuriki. Whether they had truly let go of any lingering anger or hatred from the Kyuubi attack or had simply regained control of their emotions, Sarutobi didn't know, but it was an improvement either way.

It was apparent however, that Naruto's healing had at least slowed the poison, since he should have dropped dead within a minute or two of ingesting the deadly toxin.

Looking over at the autopsy reports for the Sanadas, the causes of death were rather obvious. The wooden shard had punched through Takeshi Sanada's ribs and nearly torn his left lung in half. Then his lungs had rapidly filled with blood, essentially drowning him in his own bodily fluids. Susuki Sanada, on the other hand, had a three bladed claw jammed through the left side of her skull. What was interesting was that the claws had still been strapped to the dead Takeshi's wrist.

Add to the fact that Susuki had been found on top of Naruto with her hands still wrapped around his throat, and one received a very disturbing picture indeed.

A picture that Sarutobi desperately didn't want to believe. He didn't want to believe that the elderly couple had had something to do with the attempt on Naruto's life. He also couldn't believe that little Naruto might have played a part in the deaths of his adopted grandparents, despite the splinters embedded in Naruto's hand. No four-year-old child could have inflicted those injuries to the Sanadas.

This meant that either the whole thing was a set-up, or that Naruto had somehow accessed _its'_ chakra to defend himself. Sarutobi honestly didn't know which would be worse.

Sensing the return of one of his Anbu, he angrily barked out "Report." without looking up from the papers in front of him.

The Anbu, who wore an Inu mask, bowed before standing at attention. "There is still no sign of Nezumi, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi's grip on the autopsy reports tightened as he nodded for Inu to continue.

"Without him we have only the child -who has yet to awaken- to give us any eyewitness reports as to what happened."

Sarutobi finally looked up from the papers and fixed the Anbu member with a hard stare. "Have your captain double the search, Inu. He must be found. Utilize the whole Inuzuka clan and the Oinin if you must, but find him. I need answers."

Inu bowed once more. "It will be done, Hokage-sama." As the Anbu turned to leave, he paused before looking back at Sarutobi with curiosity in his body language.

"Permission to speak freely, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi glanced at him impatiently. "Granted."

Inu posed his question. "Why don't we just have one of the Yamanaka's go through the boy's mind to find what happened?"

The Anbu almost fainted when Sarutobi leveled an angry glare at him. "No."

Shaking, the Anbu nonetheless tried to protest, "But Hoka-"

"I said no," Sarutobi interrupted. "I will not allow someone into Naruto's mind when we have _no idea_ what could happen to the seal, especially since I can't think of a single Yamanaka that I could trust in Naruto's mind." The Anbu just nodded rather than trying to argue further. "Find me Nezumi; I'll see if Naruto is up to talking yet." With that, the old Hokage stood and exited the room, leaving a shaken Anbu behind.

As Sarutobi walked down the hallways towards Naruto's private room, he couldn't help but wonder about his missing Anbu. _'Was he somehow involved in what happened, or was he disposed of to prevent interference? And if he was…then who did the disposing? Too many questions and not enough answers.'_ Of course, there was the greatest -to him- question of all…how would this affect Naruto?

Naruto had been paranoid and untrusting for a child while he had been living in the orphanage, only letting down his guard around Sarutobi and even then only when they were alone. He had always seemed to somehow unconsciously detect any Anbu that had been watching him, which had only increased his paranoia. The fact that Naruto had never spoken up about the neglect he had suffered from his first set of caretakers until that first time Sarutobi had visited without any Anbu, spoke volumes. Things had only gotten worse after the Hitode incident.

It had taken three months of living with the Sanadas before Naruto had truly opened up and trusted anyone other than the Hokage. Once he had however, his mental state and health had rapidly improved. However, it was that very trust gained from having someone actively care and take interest in him that had allowed Naruto to make that progress. Strip that away, especially in the manner that it had, and there was no telling how Naruto might react.

He had seen grown men suffer complete breakdowns from less, and Naruto was only four years old. And a Jinchuuriki. Specifically, a Jinchuuriki with a seal that _no one_ in Konoha was qualified to understand completely.

Reaching the door to Naruto's room, Sarutobi lifted up a small prayer for Naruto before opening the door and walking in.

He was greeted by an awake and alert Naruto dashing from his bed to the furthest corner from the door. Once Naruto got as far from the door as he could, he turned wide, watery eyes filled with fear on Sarutobi.

He flinched inside. _'Naruto, I'm so sorry.'_ he thought as he looked at the whimpering and nearly hyperventilating child with sad eyes.

* * *

Naruto stared at the Old Man. _'Is he gonna kill me? No… no he could of done that anytime. Besides, he always had me taken care of…but… he gave me to the Sanadas… and before that… he gave me mean caretakers who always said mean things and locked me out at night…so…so maybe he _does_ wanna hurt me? No… no, he's the only person that's nice ta me. Right? Right!?'_ He thought desperately, trying to reassure himself that he could still trust the Old Man.

However, the voice that was born of his paranoia and fear, the one that had kept him alive, kept him safe on so many occasions, spoke up. _'What about the Sanadas?'_ Naruto started at that. _'They were nice to me too… and look what they did.' _Naruto's paranoia jumped several notches at that thought as he tried to push himself further into the wall. _'Maybe he was just being nice so he can try to hurt me too? If that's the case…but…why? Why did the Sanadas…and why would the Old Man…and the villagers…_why_?!_'

His breathing became even faster as his thoughts raced, trying to make some kind of sense out of all this.

"Naruto." He jumped, as the Old Man called his name. "Naruto, calm down, you're going to hurt yourself." The Hokage said as he slowly crossed the room towards Naruto.

This of course was the last thing he should have done as Naruto's paranoia rose again with a vengeance. "Stay away! Stay away or I'll make you stop too!" He shouted as the Hokage blinked in surprise.

Suddenly, a Gama masked Anbu ran into the room, kunai drawn, attracted by the sudden shout. Naruto's eyes widened to impossible size, yet his mind was so consumed by fear and paranoia that he failed to see the Hokage calm the Anbu. He also failed to see the Gama Anbu bow and melt into a corner.

However, that didn't stop Naruto from _feeling _the Anbu watching him.

"Where is he!" He shouted at the Hokage, much to the Old Man's surprise.

"It's alright Naruto; no one is going to hurt you. Just calm dow-"

"You're lying!" Naruto interrupted him "I know he's here, make him come out!" Naruto's breathing reached an all-time high as his eyes tried to dart around the room, and keep an eye on the Old Man at the same time.

The Old Man made a quick signal with his hand and the feeling of being watched faded.

"Alright Naruto, he's gone. Now you need to calm down before you hurt yourself." Again, the Hokage stepped towards him, reaching out to him.

Sadly, Naruto was too far gone in his panic to listen. "No! Stay away from me!" He began to thrash and struggle in the Old Man's arms, his breathing becoming even more erratic if that was possible. Naruto began to feel dizzy and nauseous, not realizing that his own panic was causing him to hyperventilate. His struggles grew less and less as he began to go limp in the Old Man's arms.

Just as he was about to pass out, the Old Man did something that, in ordinary times he never would have done. Something that would change Naruto's life forever and destroy any faith he had in the village. The Old Man slapped him, and while it succeeded in snapping Naruto out of his panic, it had other, far-reaching consequences.

His entire life, cracks had been developing in his outlook of the world. Through all the cruelties and neglect from the orphanage, the coldness of the villagers, and the crushing unending loneliness, the cracks had spread and encompassed more and more of his world. For a time the cracks had begun to close due to the kindness of the Old Man and the Sanadas, and then they had been brutally torn open again when his adopted grandparents betrayed him.

With that slap, the Old Man, the one person he had left, had shattered his world completely.

* * *

**Translations**

Saru= Monkey

Tora=Tiger

Hebi= Snake

Gama=Toad

Nezumi=Rat

Ojiisan=Grandpa/Grandfather

Obaachan=Grandma/Grandmother

* * *

Author's note: There you go, chapter four. Sorry about all the flashbacks. As usual, any reviews, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcomed and appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Special thanks to Sakiku once again. She really helped me with some of these scenes.

As always, all reviews, criticisms, suggestions, etc are welcome.

* * *

_'THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

_Give me your trust, said the Shinobi._

_On my shoulders I support the sky._

_Trust me to know and to do what is best,_

_And I will take care of the rest._

_But trust is the color of a dark seed growing._

_Trust is the color of a heart's blood flowing._

_Trust is the color of a soul's last breath._

_Trust is the color of death._

_Give me your trust, said the Daimyo on their throne,_

_For I must bear the burden all alone._

_Trust me to lead and to judge and to rule,_

_And no man will think you a fool._

_But trust is the sound of the grave-dog's bark._

_Trust is the sound of betrayal in the dark._

_Trust is the sound of a soul's last breath._

_Trust is the sound of death._

Modified excerpt from "The Wheel of Time"

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Naruto stared at the Old Man in utter shock. The one person who had never hurt him… had just hurt him. He didn't understand. _'Why...how come...I thought he...no...NO...he cares about me...I-I love him...h-he's my only friend...what...I don't...why can't I trust...'_ These thoughts, and more, blurred through his head in a confused jumble that the child could hope to decipher.

Desperate for some sense of understanding, some foundation to keep him from crumbling, Naruto latched onto one of his errant thoughts and held tight until there was nothing left in his mind but that single though. _'I can't trust anyone…I can't.'_ Yes, that's it. No one could be trusted, not the Old Man, not the doctors or the ninjas…no one.

While Naruto pondered this new truth, his breathing calmed down to somewhat normal levels.

* * *

Seeing the child calming down somewhat, Sarutobi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Naruto," the Sandaime began, regaining the child's attention. "I'm sorry I hit you, Naruto. Are you alright?" Naruto just stared at him blankly.

After waiting a minute for an answer, Sarutobi moved a little closer to the silent child. "Naruto?" Still no answer.

Just as he opened his mouth to ask again, he caught a quiet whisper from the small child. "M'fine."

Somewhat relieved, Sarutobi carefully picked up the now unresisting child and carried him back to the bed before calling a nurse to hook him back up to the IV.

He watched Naruto as he just stared at the nurse, and while he didn't resist when she took his arm and inserted a fresh IV, there was a tenseness to him. Sarutobi couldn't help but be reminded of a wild animal backed into a corner, frozen yet ready to burst into movement at a moment's notice. Once the nurse finished and left the room again, Sarutobi sat next to the bed and began to question him.

"Naruto," he began gently. "I know this is hard, but I need you to tell me what happened yesterday." He was met by silence. "Naruto, please. I need to know, what happened to Takeshi and Susuki?" He watched as Naruto hugged his knees to his chest and just stared at him.

Misunderstanding the child's silence, he tried to reassure the boy. "It's okay Naruto, you can talk to me. What happened?" More silence and staring was all he received from the small blond.

Just as he was about to try again, he caught a faint whisper, so quiet he might have missed it if he hadn't been watching Naruto so intently.

"They hurt me…and I made them stop." were the soft-spoken words from the eerily quiet child.

Sarutobi barely held in a wince, before pressing for more information. "How did they hurt you, Naruto?" he asked gently. He received the same silence and staring as before, though Naruto answered a little quicker than the last time.

"Put stuff in my vidamins, said I hurt people…hit me." His hand rose to the large bruise adorning his face when he said the last one, all in that quiet, soft spoken way.

Sarutobi managed to keep his face a mask of gentle understanding, despite the rage and anger, as well as the sadness and regret that warred beneath the surface. "I'm so sorry Naruto, but I need to ask, was anyone else involved? Did you see anyone else? Did anything about that day seem unusual? Did anything out of the ordinary happen?"

Naruto seemed to think for a minute, giving Sarutobi a weighing look before whispering. "It was gone."

This caught his attention. "It, Naruto? What do you mean? What is it?"

Naruto just stared at him, "I dunno… I just feel it… cept when I woke up."

Sarutobi frowned "Can you describe it, Naruto? What exactly do you feel?"

The child seemed to think it over for a moment. "I dunno... kinda like somebody is staring at you really hard."

_'Hmm... I wonder...'_ "So you feel like someone is watching you?" A shrug was the only answer Sarutobi received, so he decided to test his theory. "Tell me Naruto, did you feel this "watcher" just now?"

If Naruto could sense the Anbu just now, who's to say he couldn't sense his normal Anbu detail? They were instructed to stay out of sight and avoid direct contact with him. With Naruto's enhanced senses, perhaps he had always been subconsciously aware of the Anbu?

He focused on Naruto again as the child answered him. "Uh huh."

"How long have you felt this "watcher", Naruto?" Sarutobi asked.

Naruto just blinked owlishly at him and whispered with a shrug. "All the time."

Interesting. Such a skill could serve him well later in life…although…it would also make his surveillance even harder. And it certainly wouldn't help with the child's paranoia.

Based on what Naruto was saying, Nezumi hadn't been there when he had woken up; however, Tora confirmed that Nezumi _had_ shown up for his guard shift. And he knew for a fact that Susuki never let Naruto sleep past seven thirty. That meant that whatever had happened to Nezumi occurred between six and seven thirty, assuming Tora was telling the truth and wasn't involved himself. _'Why can nothing be simple?_' He sighed mentally.

Seeing Naruto lapse back into silence, Sarutobi decided the poor boy could use some sleep and that they should finish the interview in the morning.

"Alright Naruto, the nurse is going to give you something to help you sleep now, and we'll talk more in the morning okay?" He was answered with silence and that look again. As he carefully moved Naruto to a lying down position and lowered the bed, Sarutobi couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable about Naruto's seemingly unending silence.

Sighing to himself again, he called for the nurse and watched as she checked Naruto's chart before injecting a light sedative into the IV, while speaking in a generic polite tone. "Alright Sanada-san, you're going to feel a little sleepy, but don't worry it's just the- ."

"Uzumaki." There was that whisper again.

Both the nurse and Sarutobi looked in surprise at Naruto, who was staring at the ceiling now, seemingly ignoring the other occupants of the room.

The nurse looked to him uncertainly to make sure she wasn't hearing things. Sarutobi just nodded, keeping his eyes on Naruto. Understanding his nod, the nurse looked back to the child, "I'm sorry Sanada-san, what was that?" Sarutobi listened intently for Naruto's answer.

"My name…is Uzumaki…not…_Sanada_." He all but hissed that last word.

_'Oh dear.'_ Sarutobi thought worriedly as he tried to run damage control. "Naruto, why don't you get some rest and we can talk about it more in the morning." He smiled gently at the young blond who continued to stare at the ceiling, not even glancing at him. Seeing the nurse frown at the child for seemingly ignoring the village's leader, Sarutobi cleared his throat to get her attention. "I trust that there is nothing else?"

The nurse smiled and bowed respectfully. "No Hokage-sama, I'm finished here."

"Very well." Sarutobi stood from his chair, trying to keep his back from cracking audibly. "I'll see you in the morning Naruto, alright?"

Once again, he was met with that unnatural silence.

Sighing, Sarutobi beckoned the nurse out of the room and closed the door.

Walking a short distance from the room, Sarutobi stopped and addressed the seemingly empty hallway. "Gama, I want you to stand guard over Naruto until I return."

"As you will, Hokage-sama." Came a soft voice from the shadows.

"Make no mistake, Gama. If anything happens to him on your watch, I will hold you _personally_ responsible. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Nodding, Sarutobi continued down the hallway and left the hospital. _'Hopefully a night's rest will help Naruto return to normal. However, this whole situation makes me uneasy. Never has an assassination attempt come so close before. With the exception of the Hitode incident, every attack before this was thwarted without Naruto even being aware of them. Where are you Nezumi?'_ Growling at the course of his thoughts, Sarutobi headed back to his office, expecting a long night.

* * *

Naruto was lost in thought as he lay on the bed, staring sightlessly at the white ceiling of his hospital room. _'Why…why is everybody wanna hurt me? What I ever do ta them?'_ Rolling onto his right side, he felt a tug on the needle in his arm causing a stinging pain that was largely overridden by the throbbing of his ribs. "Owwie." he whimpered as he rolled back to his left and gazed at the needle.

_'I wonder when the nurse is gonna give me that sleep thingy. All she did was put that needle in that tube. Stupid tube.'_ he thought as he frowned at the painful thing stuck in his arm. _'I don't see why I have ta have this stupid thing anyway, I'm not even thirsty.'_ That was the reason the Old Man said he had to have it the first time he came to the hospital. (1)

_'I still don't get how I drink this stuff with my arm anyway…wait a minute… she put stuff in the tube…and my arm drinks outta the tube so…' _

Suddenly, the Sanadas and their vitamins flashed through his mind, along with everything else they had done. Gripped by terror and paranoia, Naruto just barely stopped himself from screaming in sheer terror as he ripped the needle out of his arm, gasping in pain as he did so.

Sniffing as tears filled his eyes, Naruto grasped the crook of his arm while his blood flowed out onto the bed.

Rolling back onto his right side and curling up into a ball, Naruto quietly cried into his knees. He cried for the Sanadas, the couple that he had loved as his grandparents. Despite what they had done to him, he had loved them with everything his little heart could muster; they and to a slightly lesser extent the Old Man, had been his world.

Without them, he was lost and alone in the world once more. Never again would he run to the table for breakfast and call "morning" to his family. Never again would he practice throwing kunai and leaf floating with his Ojiisan. Never again would he sit on his Obaachan's lap and read his storybooks with her.

He thought he had been alone before the Sanadas. However having lived with them for the last six months, having been a part of their family, had shown him just what his life was missing, and losing them taught him exactly what it was to be truly alone.

The sadness and fear at being alone in a world that gave him nothing but pain overwhelmed him, and Naruto sobbed himself into a restless, nightmare-ridden sleep.

* * *

"Naruto-chan! Breakfast is ready!" echoed up the stairs.

"Coming!" Naruto called back as he ran down to the kitchen. As he ran to his place at the table, he looked to his Ojiisan who was hidden behind the morning newspaper. "Hey Ojiisan, lookie, lookie, I can make the leaf float!" Naruto grabbed a leaf- _'Weird… Obaachan never lets dirt and leafs in the house…'_- and proceeded to make it spin just above the palm of his hand.

"Very good, Naruto." his Obaachan's voice reached him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind.

Smiling with pride, Naruto tried to turn around to return the hug, but she squeezed even tighter, stopping him. In fact, her grip started to become uncomfortable as it became difficult to breath.

"Obaachan…you're hugging so tight, I can't breathe…Obaachan…" Gasping, Naruto began to pull at her arms, trying to get some breathing room. Feeling his Ojiisan approach and ruffle his hair Naruto looked up for assistance only to be greeted by a horrifying sight. There in front of him was his Ojiisan, blood pouring out of a gaping hole in his chest. Trying to scream Naruto's struggles increased to where he could finally see his Obaachan. He immediately wished he hadn't.

Smiling down at him, seemingly unaware of the three blades protruding from the side of her head, she spoke again, "You'll make a fine demon someday, Naruto."

Naruto went cold at these words. As his struggles grew weaker and weaker from the lack of air, Naruto barely heard his Ojiisan gurgle, "Here Naruto, this will help you on your way to becoming a great demon of Konoha." Weakly raising his eyes to his Ojiisan, Naruto watched in horror as Takeshi pulled a kitchen knife from seemingly nowhere. As the elderly man drove the blade into Naruto's chest, he let out a terrified scream.

* * *

Jerking awake, Naruto opened his mouth to scream and was surprised for a fraction of a second when nothing came out. However, once that passed he realized why.

Standing over his bed with their hands wrapped around his throat, was a shadowy figure. Naruto could just make out a pair of grayish bracers on the figure's forearms and a part of a vest, but nothing else as even the greatest eyesight was useless when the owner of said eyesight was too panicked to take in what he was seeing.

As Naruto thrashed around in a desperate attempt to free himself, the figure shifted to keep a better grip, bringing a portion of his face into view. Or it would have, if they weren't wearing a very familiar white porcelain mask. _'Anbu! But… but why?' _Shocked by what he saw, Naruto froze up, nearly sealing his fate. Luckily, during his struggles Naruto had somehow managed to tangle the IV tube around his leg, and his last kick was just enough to bring the IV stand crashing to the ground.

Mere seconds after the stand hit the ground, the door to Naruto's room burst open and a second Anbu dashed into the room. Not even slowing, the new Anbu jumped into the air towards Naruto's bed, drawing his ninja-to as he did so. As he landed on the side of the bed, the Anbu swung his blade at Naruto's assailant, forcing the attacker to release Naruto and defend himself.

Naruto's assailant drew two kunai and crossed them to block the powerful down swing of the ninja-to, before jumping back to gain some room.

Naruto's savior leapt forward almost immediately after the attacker disengaged, landing on the floor between Naruto and the man, creating a barrier of deadly steel.

"Stand aside, little tadpole." the assassin growled as he raised his kunai to a ready position.

"You're not getting any closer to this child, you washed up rodent." said "tadpole" responded while lazily twirling his sword one handed. He said it like he was merely stating a fact instead of threatening the man's life.

As Naruto shakily gasped in fear -not to mention a desperate need for oxygen- he was finally able to get a good look at both his attacker and his savior.

While he gazed at the two, time seemed to slow, and Naruto couldn't help but feel like he was but a spectator, uninvolved in the entire event. He knew he should be scared or angry or something, but he just felt...empty. He also knew that he should run, but really, how far could he get?

As he had thought, "rodent", his attacker was indeed an Anbu. He was dressed in the standard black pants and sleeveless shirt. Over that, he wore the grayish vest with the standard ninja-to sword rising over the right shoulder. He also had the forearm bracer/sleeves and shin guards. The other Anbu, "tadpole", was dressed almost the same, with the only difference being hair color and masks.

Naruto's attacker had brown hair and wore a Nezumi mask, while the other had black hair and wore a Gama mask. Gama was also slightly taller than Nezumi.

Naruto took all this in in an instant, before the duo continued their dance of death. Gama swung his ninja-to at Nezumi, only to stop mid-strike and thrust at the man's chest. Nezumi cursed, caught off guard with his kunai positioned to block a side swing, leaving his chest exposed. He barely managed to bring one kunai back in time to deflect Gama's blade, hissing as he received a scratch just below his armpit instead of being run through the chest. The moves were so simple and smooth, as if the two Anbu had practiced this dance for weeks beforehand. Only the grunts and cursing broke the flow from one step to another.

The rogue Anbu angrily threw himself forward, trying to get inside the sword wielding Anbu's guard. Thrusting one of his kunai forward, Nezumi managed to drive Naruto's guardian back against a wall before jamming his second kunai into Gama's chest.

Gama gasped in pain and Naruto felt the beginnings of terror when his only protector was killed right in front of him, before the Anbu disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Snarling savagely when the Anbu turned into a bedpan, Nezumi spun around slashing with his kunai as he went. There was a loud clang as kunai met ninja-to. Grunting, Nezumi allowed himself to fall back against the wall before twisting his torso to the side, drawing Gama's blade out to the right, creating an opening, and viciously kicking him in the chest. Naruto blinked in surprise when Gama held his sword out and seemingly disappeared. An instant later, Naruto was alerted by a crunching sound. Turning, Naruto found his protector slumped against a wall. Naruto's eyes widened in fear at this sight, silently pleading with the man to get up, to save him. As the sword user crashed into the opposite wall, Nezumi threw his kunai, one after the other, hiding the second in the shadow of the first.

Gama was able to knock the first kunai away with his ninja-to, only to gasp in surprise when the second impaled his shoulder.

As Gama dropped his blade, Nezumi grinned under his mask and took advantage of the brief lull in the fighting. A second later, he was standing in front of the corner Naruto had retreated to.

Arm whipping forward, he grabbed Naruto by the throat and drew another kunai to drive into Naruto's heart. Naruto struggled weakly in his grip, choking and sputtering as his ribs protested in agony. "Please...don't...I-I don't wanna die!"

Just as the Anbu was about to finish his task, Gama appeared behind him, desperately driving a kunai through the side of his neck, killing Nezumi instantly and spraying Naruto's face with blood.

Naruto wasn't sure how long he just sat there staring at the dead man, but when he finally became aware of his surroundings again, the Gama masked Anbu was crouching in front of him.

"I said, are you alright kid?" Gama asked shaking Naruto by the shoulder.

Naruto stared at the man who had "saved" him, mind abuzz with questions. _'What does he care? Why did he even bother saving me? Is this just another trick? Do they really think I'll fall for this so easy?'_ Seeing the Anbu reaching out to shake him again Naruto finally spoke.

"Don't touch me."

"You're welcome." Gama grunted as he stood up and called for the doctors. It was then that Naruto noticed that the Anbu had wrapped some bandages around his arm where he had been hurt. What_ really_ caught his eye though, was that the other Anbu was missing. There was still a pool of blood where he died, but no sign of the body.

_'Guess I spaced out for a while.'_ Naruto thought just before the room was swarmed with nurses and doctors.

Trying to avoid notice, Naruto shrank back into the corner praying to be overlooked long enough to sneak out the door. Sadly, he was immediately noticed by the first nurse to enter the room.

"Sanada-san" the young nurse called out, much to Naruto's irritation. She rushed over to him, quickly followed by several other nurses and a doctor. Kneeling in front of him, she went through a series of hand seals before moving her hand in a sweeping motion over Naruto.

"How is he, Kaori?" A doctor asked as he crouched down next to the young nurse.

"He has some bruising around his neck, and it looks like he tore out his IV again. Other than that he seems to be alright, though I'm worried he might be in shock." Kaori reported as she finished her scan.

The doctor nodded his head and addressed the nurses around him, "Alright, let's get him cleaned up and moved to a new room. I'll send word to the Hokage." After receiving some nods, he moved to check on the Anbu before leaving.

Naruto tensed as another one of the nurses moved to pick him up. He wasn't sure if she noticed or not, though the other nurse, Kaori, seemed to be looking at him sadly. As he was carried from the room, he saw the Anbu following him with Kaori hounding him every step of the way.

"What happened in here? What did you do to that poor boy? Don't ignore me! I'm talking to you! I swear if you had anything to do with this, not even the Hokage can protect you!" Kaori growled at Gama as he followed Naruto out the room. _'Wow… he's really good at ignoring her. I wonder why he isn't being nice to her like Obaachan always sai-'_

Naruto flinched when he realized where his train of thought was taking him. The nurse must have felt him, because she stopped and asked, "Are you alright, Sanada-san?"

"Stop calling me that!" he hissed at her.

"Ok then, Naruto-san. Are you alright?" the nurse seemed completely calm despite his outburst.

"M'fine." he muttered as he looked away from her so she wouldn't see his eyes starting to water.

He chided himself as he scrubbed at his eyes angrily. _'Boys shouldn't cry… ninjas don't cry… why should I cry for them? I… I won't ever cry again…I won't!'_ Despite his best efforts, the tears continued to drip down his face.

Naruto kept his head turned away from the nurse as she laid him in a fresh bed and tucked him in while another set up an IV and put the needle in his arm. Shortly after, the doctor came in, checked on a few things, and passed his hand over Naruto, pausing for a moment at his neck, before writing something on a clipboard attached to the bed and leaving the room.

Naruto waited until the last nurse -_'Kaori was it?'_- left the room with instructions to call if he needed anything, before he pulled the needle from his arm once more.

Sitting up, Naruto wrapped his arms around his legs, uncaring of the blood that flowed down his arm once again. Staring around the room Naruto checked each nook and cranny that he thought might be hiding someone.

Seeing no one, and more importantly, feeling no one, Naruto began to relax back into the bed before freezing in horror.

Slowly inching to the side of the bed, Naruto held his breath as he began to cautiously poke his head under the bed, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

Thump thump…

Naruto carefully gripped the side of the bed, making sure to keep his fingers from poking over the side.

Thump thump…

Holding his breath, Naruto slowly moved his head towards the edge.

Thump thump…

Freezing right at the edge Naruto tried to force himself to peek down under the bed.

Thump thump…

_'C'mon…c'mon just look…just a couple of inches…that's all…'_

Just as Naruto was about to peek his head around those last few inches…he couldn't hold his breath any longer.

"Hah!" Naruto gasped out before going wide-eyed and clapping his hands around his mouth.

No longer having hands to hold himself up over the edge, gravity did what it does best. Landing on his head with an "oomph" Naruto curled up into a ball and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for his doom.

When nothing happened after a few moments, Naruto slowly opened one eye. His gaze darted under the bed and revealed…nothing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto sprawled out on his back. Staring up at the ceiling, Naruto quickly became lost in his thoughts. Now that his gra-_guardians_ were dead, he was alone again, meaning that he would probably be sent back to the orphanage. The question was did he want to?

In just one day, everything he had believed in was destroyed, by the very people who taught him what life had to offer. Having been outside the orphanage and having been given love, even if it was all fake, showed him that the way he had been treated in the orphanage was wrong. Could he go back to that?

Sure, the orphanage would at least make sure he survived, but would that be worth going back to his old life? Still, what else could he do? It wasn't like he could take care …of…himself…

Naruto blinked in surprise at this new train of thought. _'Could I? I mean, Susuki did teach me how ta read and write…and she taught me a lot about cooking. Not ta mention those times I helped with the laundry… and Takeshi taught me about throwing weapons and chakra, so I can defend myself if I hafta. And the Sanada's have some scrolls on chakra and stuff. So all I gotta do is grab somma them before the Old Man takes everything. That way I can get stronger. But how can I get the Old Man to go alo-'_

Naruto stiffened as he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the hallway towards his room. Panicking, Naruto jumped up and desperately looked for a hiding spot, or a way out of the room besides the door.

"Shit!" he hissed before all but diving under the bed and curling up into a ball with his back to the wall and his eyes locked on the door. Holding in his yelps of pain from his abused ribs, he tensed as the footsteps arrived at his door…and continued past his room and on down the hall.

Taking a deep breath to try to calm himself, Naruto relaxed slightly as he went back to his thoughts. For the next couple of hours he thought to the best of his young mind's ability, plotting and planning. Eventually succumbing to his exhaustion, Naruto fell into another restless sleep.

It was here that he would be found in the morning, curled up in a ball under his bed, much to the shock and dismay of the nurse and the Old Man.

* * *

1. A very, very dumbed down explanation of an IV. Remember, he's only four.

**Translations:**

Nezumi=Rat

Gama=Toad

Tora=Tiger

* * *

AN: Well, what do you think? As always, reviews, ideas, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcomed. How did you like my first fight scene? And just so you know, don't plan on any chapters involving Naruto being attacked by anyone within the village again. Each attack in the last three chapters were meant to explain a few things, introduce a few people, and to mold Naruto's personality, and this latest attack by the Sanadas will be explained a little more as we go along.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **As always, 1000 blessings on Sakiku Torakak for all the hard work she put into betaing this. I wish I had kept one of my early, unbeted chapters, so I could show you just how big of a difference she makes. Also, I have another question about the title of a story for readers, sorry. As always, all questions, criticisms, suggestions, and reviews are more than welcome. So, on with the show.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINE BREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Sarutobi was_ not_ in a good mood. It had been more than five hours since he had left the hospital and there was still no sign of Nezumi. _'Damn it! How hard could it be to find one Anbu operative?'_ Sarutobi thought angrily, despite knowing that it in fact could be _very_ hard. After all, stealth above all else was what the Anbu were meant for.

The sad truth of the matter was that he was only trying to keep his mind off Naruto and his current condition by focusing on his anger and irritation with the Anbu. The boy was very important to him, and to see him so detached, so broken… it tore him up inside in a way that he hadn't experienced since learning of Orochimaru's fall.

Sarutobi had already decided that if Nezumi _was_ found to be involved in this, then he would _personally_ handle his interrogation.

Sarutobi couldn't care less about the fact that he had little experience with questionings, since he planned to go with the torture side of the Torture and Interrogation division.

Before Sarutobi could get too wrapped up in his…judgment, a knock broke him from his train of thought.

"Enter." The aged Hokage called pulling out his trusty old pipe. _'Ah my old friend…we've been through quite a lot together haven't we? The Second and Third Great Shinobi Wars, Danzo's little power plays in Ame no Kuni, the Kyuubi Attack, Orochimaru's defection…yes quite a lot. Though I doubt you'll be of much help to me this time.'_ Turning his attention to Inu as the young Anbu stepped through the doors and bowed, Sarutobi lit his pipe and barked out "Report."

"Nezumi has been found, Hokage-sama." Inu began.

Sarutobi instantly focused in on the young Anbu's words. If it were anyone other than Inu, he'd think the man almost sounded nervous. "And where was Nezumi found?" He asked calmly.

When Inu seemed to…shift slightly, Sarutobi was sure of it. He would not enjoy this report.

"He was discovered in Naruto Sanada's hospital room, Hokage-sama. He was attempting to assassinate Sanada-san." When Inu paused to take a breath, Sarutobi's grip on his pipe tightened noticeably. "He was stopped and killed by Gama. Naruto Sanada only suffered light bruising and has been moved to a new room." A small crack began to form in his pipe. "Gama suffered a shoulder wound but has already received treatment and returned to his post outside Sanada-san's new room. Nezumi's body has been recovered and taken to Anbu HQ."

"And just how," Sarutobi interrupted coolly, "did Nezumi get past the Anbu on the security detail at the hospital?"

There was no mistaking it when Inu flinched this time. "Most of the Anbu on the hospital detail were reassigned to the search for Nezumi, Hokage-sama. Taka thought that every available man was needed to-"

"Get out. All of you." The steel in Sarutobi's voice could have been used to level an army.

"Hokage-sama?" Inu questioned as the remainder of the Hokage's Anbu protection detail Shunshined from the room.

"You're going to want to leave this room Inu." Sarutobi slowly stood to his feet clenching his pipe in his hand. "I'll hear the rest of your report in a minute."

"Ha-hai Hokage-sama." Bowing shakily, Inu beat a quick retreat out the door.

Taking a deep breath Sarutobi tried to calm himself. Try being the key word.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Sarutobi snarled as he threw his old pipe at the wall with all his might. The pipe smashed through the wall and probably would have continued through another wall or two if it hadn't disintegrated from the sheer force and velocity of the first impact.

Barely a second after his throw, Sarutobi drove his fist through the side of his desk and with one mighty pull, he hurled the more than one hundred pound desk against the wall…on the far side of the room.

As the various papers that had been set on his desk fluttered to the ground, Sarutobi set his sights on the portrait of his successor. "What are smiling about you DUMB BASTARD!" He spat as he shoved his fist through the Yondaime's portrait and the wall behind it. "Are you happy now? ARE YOU!"

Looking around for something else to destroy, Sarutobi was finally able to rein in his anger. Composing himself, he opened the door and gazed at the shaken Anbu before him.

"Shishi, Tori, see to my office, and get me a new pipe." Sarutobi ordered. Walking down the hallway, he gestured to the silver haired Anbu. "Inu, Fukurou, Hebi, come with me."

"Ha-hai Hokage-sama!" The Anbu managed to stutter out before jumping to follow his orders, lest he take his anger out on them. Shishi and Tori both headed back into his office, keeping their thoughts to themselves when they saw his destroyed office.

"Inu!" Sarutobi barked out. He waited until the Anbu stepped closer before asking, "Are you certain that Naruto suffered no injuries?"

"Hai Hokage-sama. He's probably asleep by now as the doctor gave him some sedatives."

"Very well." Sarutobi made his decision, unaware of the repercussions that would follow this night. "Hebi, Fukurou! Both of you go join Gama and protect Naruto. Tell Gama that my warning to him applies to you two as well. Also, tell him that I will speak to him in the morning for his report. Understood?"

"Hai!" the duo saluted before Shunshining away.

Exiting the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi paused and took a deep breath to make sure he at least had the appearence of calm. "Continue your report Inu." He ordered gravely.

"Hai Hokage-sama. As I was saying, Nezumi's body was recovered and handed over to the T and I for examination. Inoichi Yamanaka and Ibiki Morino are handling the investigation as you ordered, and they have probably begun their initial examination by now." Inu paused in his report as they passed a couple Uchiha MPs on patrol. After waiting long enough to be certain they were alone, he continued. "A search of the hospital was conducted once Sanada-san was moved, and thus far we haven't found anything suspicious. All members of the hospital staff who were on duty have been accounted for, nothing has been reported stolen, and the rest of the patients appear to be unharmed. Everything seems to be in order, but we've doubled the number of Anbu on duty in and around the hospital just in case."

Sarutobi waited a moment to see if any more information was forthcoming. When Inu remained silent, The Professor put his mind to work. _'The best case scenario here is that Takeshi and Susuki acted alone, and Nezumi just decided to let it happen. Then, when the Sanadas failed, he panicked before deciding to come after Naruto himself.'_ Sarutobi sighed wearily. _'That's wishful thinking at best. No, what is far more likely is that the Sanadas approached Nezumi with their plan. He probably went after Naruto as some form of petty revenge. The question is, was Nezumi the only one? Was he the only Anbu involved, was he the only one approached? Did any of the others see some sign of what was coming? Damn it!' _

Sarutobi hated it when he was forced to question the loyalty of his own men. There was nothing worse than being a Kage level ninja and then letting your paranoia rear its ugly head. Now he'd probably spend the next couple of weeks wondering if any of his Anbu had other loyalties.

Glancing over at the silent youth beside him, Sarutobi allowed a slight lifting of his lips. _'At least I can be sure of Kakashi's loyalty… probably… there I go again.'_ He sighed once more, before turning his thoughts back to Nezumi and the Sanadas. _'I'm letting myself get distracted. I'll need to have inquiries made about Nezumi's recent activities, see if anyone noticed anything strange. Particularly the others of Naruto's bodyguard detail. I'll also need to look into their activities as well. Discreetly of course.'_

Arriving outside what appeared to be a warehouse, Sarutobi nodded to the hidden Anbu that was perched in a nearby tree. Heading inside, Inu took the lead and proceeded down a series of halls before reaching a morgue that doubled as a medical ward for the T and I division. After all, they couldn't always get the information they were looking for before the prisoner succumbed to their injuries. One way or another, captured shinobi always ended up here.

Inside were the three men they had come to see. Inoichi Yamanaka, Ibiki Morino, and Hirotoro Hikyakuya, the man once known as Nezumi.

Sarutobi frowned when he saw the Yamanaka head before turning to gaze at Hirotoro. He would have much rather had Ibiki handle the investigation by himself. The young Chuunin had made quite a name for himself in the last year as one of the youngest interrogators in the history of the Torture and Interrogation division. He was also one of the most effective. The problem was that he was too young, too inexperienced to handle an investigation involving the Anbu Black Ops. If he had been say, five years older or at least held the rank of Special Jounin, then there wouldn't have been any problems.

Sadly, Ibiki was neither of these things, so Inoichi had to be brought in as well. It wasn't as though Sarutobi had anything against Inoichi, quite the contrary in fact. The man was an excellent interrogator and a fine shinobi as well not to mention a proud and loving father of a two-year-old daughter.

The problem was that Inoichi was also a fine clan head, which meant he was a decent politician. A politician with a seat on the council, who might soon gain information pertaining to Naruto that could prove useful for a politician. As clan head, Inoichi was sworn to uphold the security and interests of his clan, and information about Naruto could be a powerful bargaining chip among the other politicians, and Sarutobi couldn't be sure that Inoichi wouldn't be willing to sacrifice Naruto in order to gain support for one of his own proposals. They might not bring the child up in every meeting, but it happened far too often for Sarutobi's comfort. Thankfully, the council had only been interested in Naruto's health and stability so far. No doubt if the boy chose to become a ninja, then more "concerns" would arise.

Despite not having any real power themselves, the council represented the people of Konoha, shinobi and civilian, clan and non-clan. Their purpose was to bring the concerns of those they represented to the Hokage, as well as to offer their advice on the matter. If a large majority of the council supported a certain proposal, then in theory, so too did a large majority of the village.

Ibiki on the other hand, was not on the council, nor was he a part of any clan. His only loyalty was to the village and the Hokage. Sarutobi had been sending most of Naruto's civilian attackers to Ibiki, who had done a very thorough job working them over as well as handling the investigation into Naruto's former caretakers. Either the young man genuinely cared about Naruto - whether as the hero he was meant to be or just as any ordinary child - or the man was just that loyal and professional to his Hokage. Regardless of the reason, Sarutobi was grateful to him.

Mentally shaking his head, Sarutobi turned his attention back to the situation at hand. "What have you found?" he asked grimly without turning away from the corpse that had once been a trusted Anbu.

Inoichi stepped up beside him and began reading off a clipboard. "We found no signs of foreign substances in his body, or any signs of torture or seals. Thus far, his body has shown no signs of fatigue, nor any other warning signs of mental instability. As far as we can tell, Hokage-sama, Hirotoro was in perfect health right up until Gama killed him." Inoichi looked up from the clipboard, his face still a mask of perfect calm as if standing over a dead body was completely normal. "Of course, this is only our preliminary report, so we might be able to find something at a later date."

Sarutobi nodded absently. It really was far too early to expect much else. "Have there been any signs that he may have suffered from the effects of a Genjutsu?"

Inoichi glanced over at Ibiki before answering, "Genjutsu isn't really my forte, so I would like to bring in a specialist to examine him, from the Kurama Clan preferably, or perhaps a member of the Uchiha or Hyuuga Clans."

Sarutobi hummed thoughtfully as he dug through his robes absentmindedly. "What's your opinion on this Ibiki-san?" _'Where in the world did I put my pi… oh, that's right…' _Sarutobi mentally sighed while listening to Ibiki.

"Hokage-sama, I disagree with Inoichi-sempai. I don't specialize in Genjutsu either, but I have recognized several signs of a very weak, long lasting illusion. If I had to guess, I'd say it was some type of suggestive Genjutsu." Ibiki's deep voice was calm and steady, as if the suggestion that a Genjutsu, no matter how weak, had been placed on an Anbu was of no concern.

Raising an eyebrow, Sarutobi looked back to the Yamanaka head.

"Hokage-sama," Inoichi began, "As he said, Ibiki-san is no expert in Genjutsu. I don't mean any disrespect to him, but Ibiki-san has only been a Chuunin for a year, and he's been in the Anbu even less then that. He's inexperienced in these kinds of matters, and as such, we should bring in a Genjutsu specialist to confirm or disprove his theory."

Ibiki remained silent throughout Inoichi's argument, which to Sarutobi sounded as if it had been said more than once. Perhaps the two interrogators had already had this argument before his arrival?

"Still," Ibiki countered. "We should keep the other clans out of this investigation. The last thing we need is for politics to get involved. An investigation into the Anbu is far too volatile to be spread outside the Black Ops, or the T and I division for that matter."

_'Hmm…Ibiki makes a very valid argument. I think he'll make a fine field leader one day. He is still young though, and that is the reason why Inoichi is here in the first place. Perhaps a middle ground could be found…'_ Sarutobi mused. Thinking for a moment, a pair of red eyes filled with righteous fury flashed through his mind.

"I agree that a more expert opinion is needed before we make any assumptions Inoichi." Neither man reacted to this statement. Inoichi was to be expected, but Ibiki was once more showing his skill and discipline. _'He definitely bears watching.'_ The aged Kage thought.

"However, Ibiki makes several valid arguments as well. I don't want this to spread too far, and I want to keep any information about this incident restricted as much as possible. There must be no leaks that any of our enemies can take advantage of." _'Or politicians.' _he added silently. "So I have a possible solution. There are other, non clan shinobi who are skilled in the field of Genjutsu."

"Who do you have in mind Hokage-sama?" Ibiki asked respectfully.

"A young Chuunin, who has shown remarkable skill in her Genjutsu abilities." Sarutobi began. He paused and as he found himself searching for his pipe again. _'I really need to get that replaced…and cut back on my smoking apparently.'_ He thought tiredly.

"Forgive me Hokage-sama," Inoichi interrupted. "But just how skilled could a clanless Chuunin be? I understand your hesitance to approach one of the clans with this information, but surely one of them would be a better choice?"

Despite the situation, Sarutobi chuckled wryly. "Oh, you would be surprised by just how skilled this clanless Chuunin is. I assure you, she could quite easily claim the rank of Special Jounin for her illusions if she wanted to. I trust her skills, and just as importantly, her loyalty." _'Yes and the fact that she is one of the few to have shown a genuine interest in Naruto's welfare… well, that's just a happy coincidence.'_

"Inu, go and retrieve Kurenai Yuuhi. Tell her only that her expertise is required and that anything she learns tonight is to be regarded as an A class secret." Sarutobi ordered.

Sarutobi barely acknowledged the silver haired Anbu's salute, only really taking note of his departure via Shunshin.

"Tell me Ibiki, what are your thoughts on this investigation thus far?" Sarutobi asked, genuinely interested in the young man's observations. Ibiki had already shown quite a bit of skill for a rookie and this was as good a time as any to test his investigative abilities.

"I can only really make guesses at this point Hokage-sama. There just isn't enough evidence to make a case." Still the model of calm and perfection Sarutobi noted, and it seemed like he wasn't the only one.

"Surely you have a theory, Ibiki-san?" Inoichi added. "Let us say that you are correct and there was a Genjutsu placed on Hirotoro. What would you suggest be our next course of action?"

Ibiki closed his eyes and seemed to think for a moment. Then, eyes still closed he began to speak. "As I said, Inoichi-sempai, I can only make guesses at this stage. However, according to her record, Susuki Sanada possessed quite some skill in Genjutsu. If someone did use one on Hirotoro, then there's a possibility that she was the one who did it." Ibiki opened his eyes and looked at the Yamanaka out of the corner of his eye. "Of course, if Hirotoro was the victim of a Genjutsu, then it is also possible that the Sanadas were also victims. If the Genjutsu specialist finds anything here, then we'll have to have her look at the Sanadas as well. Probably the boy too, just to be certain." Ibiki finished.

Sarutobi traded a look with Inoichi. The Chuunin was certainly displaying some fine insight for one so young.

Turning back to him, Sarutobi asked, "By the way, have you finished your investigation into the orphanage incident?"

If Sarutobi was expecting Ibiki to be surprised by this change of topics, he was disappointed. "Hai Hokage-sama. I was going to hand it in this morning, but then this whole mess happened. Do you want to hear a condensed version of my report?"

"Yes, if you would." Sarutobi nodded.

"Very well." Ibiki closed his eyes again and crossed his arms. "From the confessions of the various workers, I believe that the isolation had started around the time the boy was placed there. They felt that since you visited the boy so often at the time, that they could get away with leaving him by himself when you weren't around. The underfeeding started around the time he was old enough to eat on his own. Apparently, they started with just missing a meal here or there and escalated as he grew older. Around the time we found out they were only feeding him every other day or so and even then they only gave him one or two meals."

Ibiki looked back at the seething Hokage. "From what I gathered, there were a few workers who were aware of what was happening and they apparently gave him larger portions when they fed him. However, I believe they were only trying to cover their own asses in case you found out. Not one of them reported the mistreatment, nor did anything to stop it." Sarutobi was _really_ starting to wish he hadn't destroyed his pipe right now.

"As for the beatings, they seem to have started around the time the child was developed enough to walk and start learning how to talk. Your own visits became less frequent around this time, and apparently they felt it was safe to smack him around a little. Only a handful were involved in this, as the rest seemed content with leaving him in isolation or were unaware that things were becoming more physical. However, it seems that none of them were willing to go beyond a slap or two, though they seemed to be aware of his superior healing, so I applied a little more pressure and I've confirmed that they received this information from one Kisabi Takeda. I believe he is a former member of the council, correct? More importantly, he was on the council when Naruto's healing and enhanced senses were discovered."

Ibiki must have been able to hear his teeth grind because he said, "I can't be certain without talking to the boy myself, Hokage-sama, but I believe he was young enough to not remember most of the mistreatment, or at least not consciously."

"Thank you Ibiki, that will be all," he managed to grind out. He turned to Inoichi. "Have the caretakers executed in the morning. Oh and Ibiki? I want you to arrest Kisabi once we're done here. When you've finished interrogating him, let me know. He and I will have much to discuss before he _dies_." Sarutobi practically spat that last word.

The two interrogators must have felt his killing intent, because they both backed up a step and Ibiki's calm broke for the first time that night. "Hai Hokage-sama."

* * *

Kurenai sighed as she toweled her hair dry in front of her bathroom mirror. Prior to showering, she had been hard at work honing and increasing her Taijutsu skills with a new friend of sorts. Though how she ended up befriending the girl was something she wasn't quite sure of.

* * *

**Flashback**

She had met Anko Mitarashi a few weeks ago in a bar of all places. What the thirteen year old had been doing there hadn't been hard to guess. Since her return to the village a few months prior, Anko had been the target of much of the village's hate because of her former sensei, Orochimaru. Even after the Hokage proclaimed her innocent, the villagers still tormented the poor girl. Kurenai had stepped in when Anko had looked like she was about to pass out. Grabbing the younger Chuunin and throwing down some money for her drinks, Kurenai had pulled Anko's arm over her shoulder and made her way out of the bar and away from the hungry gazes that some of the more drunk patrons had been sending the intoxicated girl's way.

Predictably, Anko had been quite upset when her drinking was interrupted, but her threats had been more amusing than terrifying, considering she couldn't even stand on her own and was slurring badly. Of course it was far less amusing when the girl puked all over Kurenai's feet, before promptly passing out.

Kurenai briefly entertained the idea of just dropping the girl on the street and walking away, but one glance at the bar they had just left put an end to that. Sighing when she realized that she didn't know where Anko lived, Kurenai hoisted Anko a little higher up on her shoulder and began walking back to her apartment.

Thankfully, the walk back was uneventful and they were able to reach Kurenai's apartment before Anko woke up or worse, puked again. Stumbling a little when she opened her door, Kurenai dragged Anko in and kicked off her vomit covered sandals.

Dropping her guest on her couch, Kurenai covered her with a blanket before heading to her bedroom. It might have been more polite to give her guest the bed but... Anko had puked on her new sandals. She could make due with the couch.

When she woke up the next morning, Kurenai wasn't too surprised to find Anko still asleep on the couch. Sighing, Kurenai put a couple of aspirin and a glass of water on her coffee table, before she made her way into the kitchen to start making tea. _'Hmm...what should I have for breakfast? I suppose I could always just finish off that dango from the other day.' _Kurenai idly mused. Yawning, she pulled the leftover dango from the fridge and reheated it. Placing the food on the table, she heard a sound from her guest. Looking in, she saw Anko's nose twitch repeatedly. Raising an eyebrow, Kurenai watched amusedly as Anko suddenly bolted upright, scooped up the aspirin and dry swallowed them before stumbling towards the kitchen with a dreamy look in her eyes and a slight trail of drool.

"Mmm, dango." Anko murmured as she reached for Kurenai's breakfast.

"Ahem." Kurenai cleared her throat pointedly.

Anko snapped out of her daze and fixed her with a dangerous glare. "What are you doing in my apartment?" she growled.

Kurenai just raised her eyebrow again. "I'm not. You're in mine." She chuckled as her guest blinked and looked around the room.

"Oh," was her eloquent reply.

As Kurenai took a sip of her tea Anko suddenly asked, "Hey, we didn't have sex last night did we?"

Kurenai choked on her tea, just barely stopping from spitting it in the younger girls face. "WH-WHAT! NO! OF COURSE NOT!" she spluttered

"Oh good." Anko sighed as she grabbed a skewer of dango. "I wouldn't want to feel guilty for taking advantage of such a beautiful woman like yourself," she finished.

Kurenai couldn't help but gape at the younger Chuunin as she ate her dango.

"So," Anko said around a mouthful of dango, "who are you, and what am I doing here?"

Regaining her composure, Kurenai took another sip of tea. "My name is Kurenai Yuuhi. You were drunk at the bar, so I decided to take you home. You passed out before I could find out where you live though, so I had to bring you back here." Snatching the rest of the dango away from Anko's reaching hand she finished, "You're welcome by the way."

Anko looked at her for a moment, before she sniffed and pouted while gazing longingly at Kurenai and her dango.

Kurenai sweat-dropped. "What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, Anko's eyes grew impossibly wide and watery as she let out a pathetic sounding whimper.

Twitching, Kurenai handed her dango over. "Here," she said in a defeated tone.

Anko smiled happily as she grabbed the food. "You're the best, Kurenai-chan!" she proclaimed before attacking the dango with gusto.

Sighing, Kurenai refilled her cup before fixing Anko with a stern look. "You know, you shouldn't drink so much, Anko-san, especially when you're by yourself. Several of those men were giving you looks."

Anko just laughed "Of course they were, how could they resist staring at the great, sexy, and not to mention single, Anko-sama!"

"I'm serious Anko-san. If I hadn't taken you out of there who knows what might have happened."

Anko looked at her with a wide grin and her eyes squeezed shut. "Why do you care Kurenai-chan? It's not like you're responsible for me or anything."

Kurenai snorted, "I don't _need _a reason to care about you Anko-san. We're Konoha kunoichi, we should look out for each other."

Anko dropped her grin and stared at Kurenai.

"Anko-san?" she questioned, "Are you alright?"

She was caught completely off guard when stars appeared in Anko's eyes as she leapt across the table and caught her in a hug. "Yay! You're my new best friend Kurenai-chan!"

Kurenai was flabbergasted. "A-Anko-san..."

"What's with this formal crap? You should call me Anko-chan!" The excited Chuunin proclaimed, before glancing at the clock. "Whoops, I'm late for a meeting with the Hokage. See ya later Kurenai-chan!" With that she dashed out the door, leaving a gaping Kurenai behind.

* * *

**Flashback ends**

Since that day, Anko had made it a point to visit Kurenai's apartment every day they were both in the village. Some times, Kurenai had even come home to find Anko waiting in her apartment with a half-eaten plate of dango and noisily slurping a bowl of soup. Though that was much better than the time she came home to a surprise party complete with a banner saying "Welcome Home Kurenai-chan" in bold print. That wouldn't have been half as awkward if Anko hadn't been the only one there.

Still, in the few weeks since they met Kurenai had found that she quite liked the purple-haired girl, despite her eccentricities. She'd also enjoyed her sparring sessions with the younger Chuunin, like the Taijutsu match they had had earlier that evening.

Despite that, while Kurenai was making progress, it wasn't going as quickly as she hoped. She had turned her attention to her Taijutsu training a few months ago when her Genjutsu skills reached Jounin level. And while Kurenai knew her other skills wouldn't increase as quickly as her Genjutsu had, she was still disappointed with her current rate of improvement.

Right now, Kurenai would only rate her Taijutsu at mid-Chuunin, and her Ninjutsu skills were still barely above Genin level. She was focusing on her Taijutsu for now, as it was more important than her Ninjutsu at the moment.

Pulling on a robe, she stepped into the living room of her modest one bedroom apartment and took a seat on her small couch. Sighing in pleasure at finally sitting down and resting her sore muscles, Kurenai looked to the application forms sitting on her low coffee table. This was the second time she had been offered a chance at Special Jounin rank, and would likely be the second time she turned it down.

Some of her acquaintances had been rather shocked when they heard she turned it down once before, but Kurenai had explained her thinking. While the pay increase would be nice, especially for a young Chuunin living on her own, she had other more pressing concerns. As she had explained to them, for right now, the benefits of remaining a Chuunin outweighed the benefits of becoming Special Jounin. Quite a few eyebrows had been raised at that statement.

Kurenai planned to reach Jounin rank, and right now, she could make more progress to that goal as a Chuunin. As a Genin, a shinobi was relatively safe from most dangers that a shinobi might face. However, they generally only had their Jounin sensei to turn to for training, unless they had family members to help them. Kurenai had none.

A Chuunin on the other hand, could still learn from their sensei, but they could also seek out other Chuunin, and even Special Jounin for additional training, if they were willing. The missions for Chuunin were generally still safer than those that the higher ranks would garner, and unlike Special Jounin and Jounin, Chuunin were rarely, if ever, sent on solo missions. Having others to watch her back greatly increased Kurenai's odds of living long enough to reach Jounin. Especially when she already possessed Jounin level Genjutsu skills. That gave her an edge over others on C and quite a few B rank missions.

As a Special Jounin, not only would she be at greater risk, but she would also lose quite a few learning possibilities, as a Special Jounin seeking training from a Chuunin would cast doubt on her abilities, and could cost her the respect of her fellow shinobi. In addition, as a Special Jounin, she would begin receiving requests from others for training in her field of expertise, and that would cut back on her own training time even further. So in the end, she could reach Jounin level skills faster as a Chuunin than as a Special Jounin.

So for now, it was best for her to remain a Chuunin and take advantage of her training opportunities. Perhaps when her Taijutsu was Jounin level and she had reached mid-Chuunin or so in Ninjutsu, she might consider it.

Kurenai was shaken from her thoughts when she detected a chakra presence outside her apartment. A moment later there was a knock on the door. When she answered it, an Anbu stood outside her apartment. His mask tilting in her direction, the spiky haired, Inu masked Anbu nodded. "The Hokage requires your presence to aid in an investigation. I will escort you to where you are needed. You may get dressed first, but hurry."

Kurenai was moving to her bedroom the moment the Anbu stopped speaking. Closing the door, Kurenai slipped out of her robe and quickly dressed in a pair of standard shinobi pants and a sleeveless red turtleneck. After that, she strapped her kunai holster to her right leg and a shuriken pouch to the back of her left hip. Opening the door, she put on her Chuunin vest and zipped it up as she reentered the living room. Grabbing her Hitai-ate, Kurenai tied it around her forehead as she slipped on her sandals.

Nodding to Inu, she allowed him to put a hand on her shoulder and perform a Shunshin. The next she knew, they were standing outside what seemed to be an ordinary warehouse.

Glancing around, she frowned at her escort. "Where are we?"

"A warehouse," was Inu's blunt response as they walked toward the entrance.

Kurenai's eye twitched. _'No shit…thanks for the hot tip asshole.'_ Aloud she deadpanned. "Yes, I can see that. Why are we outside a warehouse in the middle of the night?"

Inu shrugged. "We needed a Genjutsu specialist and the Hokage personally recommended you."

Kurenai's twitch got bigger.

"In here." The Anbu opened a door and ushered her in.

Four men greeted her. One was the Sandaime, who was currently glaring into space. The only other man that she knew was Inoichi Yamanaka, the head of the clan and a man of considerable influence in the T and I division. She didn't recognize the third man however, and the fourth was a corpse.

The third man looked to be about her age, with dark eyes. His head was covered by his Hitai-ate fashioned as a bandanna, and he wore a dark trench coat over a standard Chuunin vest and clothing. What really caught her eye were the scars that crossed his calm and blank face.

"Hokage-sama, I've brought Kurenai Yuuhi as ordered." Inu bowed.

Kurenai snapped to attention as the Sandaime turned to face them.

"Ah Kurenai-san, how nice to see you again. Thank you for coming," the kindly old man greeted, his face clear of the anger she had seen before. "I trust you know Inoichi-san?"

"Hai Hokage-sama, Inoichi-sama." Kurenai nodded to the blond clan head before turning back to her Kage. "May I ask why I am here Hokage-sama?"

"Of course, Ibiki, explain the situation to her," the Sandaime ordered while he seemed to absentmindedly dig through his robes.

Kurenai's eyes widened when she heard the name of her fellow Chuunin. _'So this is the infamous Ibiki Morino…he certainly looks the part of an expert interrogator.' _

She approached the table holding the dead body when Ibiki beckoned.

"This man was one of our shinobi. He was killed when he tried to assassinate the person he was assigned to protect and may have been involved in a previous attempt on the target's life. We found neither signs of seals on his body, nor any signs of foreign substances in his system. We need you to check for any signs that a Genjutsu may have been used on him. Needless to say, anything you have been told or may come to learn tonight has been classified an A rank secret." Ibiki's voice remained calm and unshaken, as if he were simply reciting the morning weather report. "You may proceed with your examinations when you are ready."

Kurenai was mildly curious as to why _she_ of all people was selected for this. Mentally shrugging, she cleared her mind and ran through a few hand signs. She closed her eyes and extended her senses towards the corpse. This particular Medical Ninjutsu was relatively unknown to Konoha's general Shinobi population, due to the simple fact that it didn't actually _heal_ anything. Added to that, was the fact that most medic-nin were equally unaware of this technique, as by the time an injure shinobi reached them, a Genjutsu would have either already run its course, or would have been dispelled by someone -even the medic-nin in question. And while Genjutsu can cause lasting harm, most of that harm coud be healed by medic-nin, so there was little need to search to see if a Genjutsu was responsible. And once the patient woke up, hey could describe whatever Genjutsu had been used against them -or at least its effects- and the technique could be identified by that. In a word, this particular Medical Ninjutsu was obsolete. In fact, outside of perhaps the Kurama clan and perhaps Tsunade herself, Kurenai wasn't sure if anyone else even remembered the technique.

She started her search over the appearance of the body itself. Finding nothing, she moved on to the sensory organs, the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. When that still turned up nothing, she moved on to the last possible target of a Genjutsu, the brain itself. Scanning through the brain, she frowned when she noticed a small amount of chakra residue in the area of the brain that dealt with inhibitions. _'Strange... the brain is one of the few places where the chakra levels never really change...' _Looking deeper, she realized that there was far more chakra remaining in that part of the brain than the rest. _'But why...no one tries to use chakra to enhance the brain...so why is there a relatively larger amount in this specific section?' _Tuning out the rest of the brain, Kurenai focused all her attention on that single part. _'This chakra...it's not naturally there...and it seems to be resisting the natural dissipation process...which can only mean one thing...this is definitely foreign chakra.'_

"Hokage-sama," she called, "I've found something."

The Sandaime stepped beside her, his gaze hard. "Genjutsu." It wasn't a question.

"Can you tell what kind it was?" Ibiki asked with his seemingly unshakable calm.

Kurenai nodded. "Yes, it was designed to make the victim more susceptible to suggestion. It works by subtly lowering the targets inhibitions, making things seem more acceptable to the target, particularly things that they would normally balk at."

"Are you saying that Hirotoro was a victim as well?" Inoichi interrupted.

Kurenai shook her head. "No, as weak as this Genjutsu was, it would have to build off his own subconscious feelings. A far greater amount of chakra would have been needed to actually create the desire to kill his subject. After that, a far greater amount of chakra would have been needed to ensure that he didn't realize he was in a Genjutsu and disrupt it. Then they would have to make it subtle enough that no one else realized what was going on until it was too late. There is no way this Genjutsu could have made an Anbu subservient to another's will. Most Genin couldn't even be directly controlled by this Genjutsu, simply because the deep down, they would know that their reactions weren't natural, leading the brain to rebel against that desire. The end result of that would either be breaking the Genjutsu...or insanity as the mind essentially waged war on itself."

"How sure of this are you?" Inoichi inquired.

"I'm positive, Inoichi-sama." Kurenai responded resolutely.

"We have the body of the person we believe may have been the one who cast it. Can you identify the body based on their chakra signature?" The Sandaime asked gravely.

Kurenai shook her head, "I'm only mildly skilled at chakra sensing, and it would all depend on the individual. If they had an average chakra capacity, then I'd need to look at the body within half a day. Any later and the chakra would probably have dispersed. The smaller the chakra capacity, the less time we'd have."

"They've only been dead for about half a day, give or take. Can you make it work?" Ibiki questioned.

Kurenai bit her lip in thought. It would be cutting it close, but there was a small chance. "I can try, but there are no guarantees." Kurenai offered with a slight shrug.

Ibiki and Inoichi both looked to the Hokage, who was again digging through his robes. "Do it." he ordered.

Ibiki gestured her over to another table with a white sheet covering what was obviously the silhouette of a human body. "She was a retired shinobi." Ibiki explained as he pulled back the sheet to reveal the head and shoulders of a withered old woman. "Both she and her husband were found dead near the unconscious subject of Hirotoro's bodyguard detail. There were signs that they were involved in the attempt on the subject's life. When we found them, there was no sign of Hirotoro. Approximately 14 hours later, Hirotoro infiltrated the hospital and tried to kill his charge. Since she had Jounin level skill in Genjutsu, we want you to try to match her chakra signature with the Genjutsu on Hirotoro."

"Right." Kurenai nodded as she started the scan on the second body. Hopefully, the woman would still have enough of her own chakra flowing through her that Kurenai could identify. The problem was, that while the body retained its chakra, once a person died, the chakra began to melt away until there was none left. If there was any left after more than half a day, then Kurenai wouldn't have much time to find it.

Kurenai's search became more frantic the longer she searched through the woman's chakra pathways. It looked like her efforts were too little too late. There didn't seem to be eno-_'wait…'_ one of the Celestial Gates didn't seem to be opened all the way. There was a small amount of chakra, barely enough for a D rank Jutsu, trapped behind it. More than enough for her purposes.

Maybe if she used her own chakra to force open the Gate, she might be able to gather enough chakra to get a signature.

Kurenai bit her lip. She'd have to use a large portion of her own chakra to do so, and another significant portion to encircle the chakra released from the Gate. Normally this would only leave her tired, but with all the training she had been doing, this procedure might take more chakra than she had to give. She could still force open the Gate, but after that… the odds were against her.

Kurenai narrowed her eyes. If she went through with it, and lacked the chakra to finish it, they would lose any chance at identifying this woman as the Genjutsu user. At the same time, the longer she waited, the less her chances of success. Eventually, even the chakra slowed by the Gate would dissipate, leaving them with nothing. So it was either try and possibly fail, or do nothing and fail for sure.

_'No real competition.'_ Kurenai smirked as she gathered her chakra and directed it though the corpse's chakra pathways. Centering her chakra outside the Gate, Kurenai drew up more of her reserves and smashed them against the Gate. Already partially opened, and lacking a living body to instinctively keep it closed, the Gate smashed open, the chakra it had held back rushing out to spread through the now dead chakra pathways. Before it could spread too far, it encountered a blockage in the system, composed of foreign chakra.

Like water, it tried to flow past the obstacle and when that failed, it tried to go through other paths - only to encounter the same blockages, one after another. Finding no way out, the chakra spread out as much as it could and went still.

This did not last long however, as the foreign chakra began to swell, and close in around it, forcing the remaining chakra to increase in density.

Sweat dripping from her brow, Kurenai felt herself reach her limits. She only needed to push just a little more, and she could accomplish her goal. _'Come on… almost there…NOW!' _Reaching the desired density, Kurenai released her own chakra and focused all her concentration on detecting the corpse's chakra signature before it had a chance to dissipate once more.

"Yes!" she sighed in relief when she succeeded, before slumping tiredly against the table.

"I take you found it then?" Ibiki asked, causing Kurenai to jump in surprise. _'I was so focused that I forgot that they were even here!'_ she blushed lightly, hoping they would think it was just a sign of her fatigue.

"Yes." she answered as calmly as she could. "There's no doubt that she was the one to cast the Genjutsu."

"Are there any signs that she may have been influenced by one as well?" Inoichi inquired.

Kurenai could only shrug. "If there were any, they're long gone by now. I didn't find anything, and if her skills were as good as you say, then it would have taken a Sharingan to produce an illusion subtle enough to fool her without requiring a massive amount of chakra. Said amount would have lasted several days after death, so I'd have to say no."

"Thank you, Kurenai-san," the Hokage began. "I'll have Inu take you back to your apartment. Remember, everything you learned tonight is an A rank secret, and I want it kept that way. However, I will put this down on your record as a completed A rank mission."

Kurenai blinked in surprise. "Uh, yes Hokage-sama." She bowed to him before allowing Inu to put hand on her shoulder once again.

"Oh and Kurenai? Do consider the promotion this time." The Sandaime said with a smile.

She barely had time to impersonate a fish before Inu Shunshined her out of the room.

* * *

Sarutobi chuckled lightly at Kurenai's expression as she and Inu departed. However, his good mood left him as quickly as it came. _'So, Susuki and Takashi were involved and they recruited Nezumi to turn a blind eye to keep Naruto from getting to the hospital. The question is, what do I do about this? With the three of them dead, there's no one left to punish. And I don't want this to get out to the public. Naruto seemingly killing his adopted grandparents in self-defense, and Anbu fighting Anbu... no, too many would take advantage of this kind of scandal. As much as I hate to say it, this'll have to be swept under the rug. Maybe I can even convince Naruto that it wasn't really his grandparents who attacked him...' _His thoughts trailed off as Inu Shunshined back into the room.

"Inoichi, Ibiki, Inu. All of the details of this incident are now classified A rank. I don't want a panic caused by doubt and mistrust in the Anbu. So from now on, Takeshi and Susuki Sanada, along with Anbu Nezumi were killed by an unknown assassin. Said assassin then impersonated the slain Anbu and attempted to silence the only witness to their attack. He was killed by Gama, and his body was destroyed by a seal carved into his body to prevent identification." He turned his gaze to the interrogators. "Understood?"

Ibiki nodded while Inoichi asked, "What about the boy, Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi sighed, "I'll explain the situation to him in the morning. Let him have a real night's sleep before we tell him about this."

"I meant after he is released from the hospital, Hokage-sama." Inoichi replied.

Sarutobi glanced over at the blond clan head. "That's a little more complicated Inoichi. I'll need to go over a few things and wait until I talk to Naruto tomorrow before I decide." _'Translation, none of the council's business.'_

"I understand, Hokage-sama." Inoichi stated with a bow.

Nodding Sarutobi Shunshined back to his own house, intending to get some sleep before trying to figure out how to piece together a child's shattered life.

* * *

Translations:

Hebi=Snake

Inu=Dog

Nezumi=Rat

Shishi=Lion

Taka=Hawk

Fukurou=Owl

Tori=Bird

Gama=Toad

Shunshin=Body Flicker

* * *

So, what do you think? Just so you know, much of the technical details used in this chapter are more or less made up by me. I hope they made sense to you, and that they helped the story. As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note**

As always thanks to my beta Sakiku Torakak for her work on this chapter. She's a real trooper for putting up with me and the way I write.

Anyway, all reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter seven of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

_'THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Sarutobi sighed wearily as he walked through the hospital doors. His sleep had been restless the previous night, and while things had more or less calmed down, the situation was still far from resolved.

Sarutobi had gone to the hospital for three things. The first had been to inform Naruto of what "really happened" the past day or so. He had stayed up late into the night, formulating a way to explain the situation to the child and to try to save some of his innocence. No easy task for a child that was as determined and as curious as Naruto. There was no chance that Naruto would understand the hows and whys of politics, and even less likely that he would understand the situation, considering that the boy still knew nothing of either his true heritage, or his not so secret burden. Still, Sarutobi was reasonably confident in his bluffing abilities, and he was certain he could eventually convince Naruto of the "truth".

The second reason he had come for was to inform Naruto of the Sanadas' last will and testament. He supposed he shouldn't really be surprised that they had even gone so far as to legally leave everything to Naruto. It had certainly helped in their attempt to lower suspicion against them. Though they obviously never thought that Naruto would ever outlive them, at least some good came from their deceptions. Now Naruto would have a legitimate inheritance that couldn't be connected to his parents, or raise any questions as to where it came from. So at least he would be better able to support himself when the time came.

His final reason also concerned the blue-eyed bundle of energy. Sarutobi would need to talk to Naruto about his new living arrangements. The boy might now own a rather nice house and a rather large chunk of wealth, but he was still just a four-year-old child. Someone would have to look after him, while Sarutobi managed his new property for him. Sarutobi would begin giving Naruto his money on a weekly allowance basis, starting with a small amount and gradually increasing as Naruto grew older.

What to do with the boy himself was a slightly more difficult decision. Once again, Sarutobi found himself considering having the boy live with him at the mansion. He had scrapped the idea when Naruto had been first born in yet another failed attempt to hide the boy's identity from the rest of the village. Since only a select few had known what Naruto looked like at the time, much less his name, the orphanage had seemed an ideal place for Naruto's childhood. He _should_ have been safe from the village in obscurity, and as long as Naruto wasn't living with him, then other Villages would have been less likely to wonder about Naruto or why he of all children had been taken in by the Shinobi no Kami. And if they weren't wondering why the boy was living with him, then they wouldn't have the chance to wonder about the boy's last name, or the fact that he bore some resemblence to the Yondaime.

When he had learned of the orphanage workers' crimes, Sarutobi had again considered moving the child in with him, especially after the Hitode incident. Sarutobi had been mere moments away from taking the chance of foreign assassins and kidnapping attempts in order to protect the grandson he'd never had, when the Sanadas had first come to him with their request.

Sarutobi had sensed something amiss with the elderly couple, but in his desperation to find a way to protect Naruto - as well as to assuage his own guilt over the boy's stay in the hospital - he had quashed those doubts. After all, they said everything that Sarutobi wanted to hear.

The Sanadas had appeared to be the perfect solution to his dilemma. They had had no other surviving family, they had been skilled shinobi before they had retired and as such had been quite well off financially, and they had seemed to have a genuine concern for Naruto's well being, and argued fiercely that he should be raised in the shinobi way rather than the civilian. That is to say, that as Konoha's Jinchuuriki, Naruto needed to be taught to protect himself, and given the same training that many other children in shinobi families received. They had been able to protect Naruto without making the boy the international target he would have been if Sarutobi had taken him in. Everything about them had appeared to be fine, and he had made sure to keep an eye on them, both by himself and through the Anbu.

Sadly, it seemed that none of them had watched closely enough. Or in Sarutobi's case, hadn't wanted to look closer. Everything had been going so well for Naruto that Sarutobi hadn't been able to bring himself to look into the situation too deeply. Similar to his actions - or lack thereof - concerning his former student Orochimaru. Now he was once again faced with the consequences of his own weakness.

So for the third time he was faced with the choice between the orphanage with Anbu watchers, or taking Naruto in himself. Both options were risky, though for different reasons. While the orphanage would definitely be the safer choice, Naruto had just had his life destroyed, and would need constant, caring attention to help him recover. Attention that indifferent orphanage workers were unlikely to give. On the other hand, Sarutobi could provide that care, but at the cost of putting the child in increased danger from both within and without the village.

Sarutobi sighed tiredly, _'I'm really too old for this job. If only I was ten or so years younger…' _Sarutobi made his way slowly up the stairs to Naruto's floor, trying to find a suitable solution to his current problem. Passing a doctor in the hallway, Sarutobi had the beginnings of an idea. _'Perhaps I could try to find a therapist for Naruto to talk to while living in the orphanage…that way he would be safe from outside threats while receiving the help he would need to overcome his loss. Of course, I'd have to find a therapist that could be trusted with Naruto… Not Inoichi or Ibiki that's for sure… not one of the civilians either… that certainly narrows the list quite a bit.'_

Sarutobi shook himself out of his thoughts when he reached the nurse's station. He nodded to the nurses there. "I'm here to see Naruto Sanada."

"Right this way, Hokage-sama." A short brunette woman said while bowing.

Sarutobi followed the nurse -"Emiko" the woman's nametag said- to his surrogate grandson's room. He paused as he arrived outside Naruto's door. Glancing around the "empty" hallway, Sarutobi made a minute movement with his hand, dispersing the unseen ANBU.

Stepping into the room, Sarutobi was shocked to find an empty bed, one that looked like it had not been slept in.

"Sanada-san," the nurse called as she hurriedly checked the bathroom and closet. Looking under the bed, Emiko let out a sigh of relief. "Sanada-san, what are you doing under there? You need to stay in bed and rest," the nurse scolded as she tried to remove the child from under the bed. Tried being the key word as young Naruto continually backed away from her reaching hands. "Sanada-san, stop being difficult and come here," Emiko ordered sternly. By this point, she was practically laying on the floor, reaching under the bed for Naruto, who was almost out from the other side.

Deciding to intervene, Sarutobi stepped around the bed and picked up the tense child. "Don't you think the bed is more comfortable than the floor, Naruto?" he said, placing Naruto on the bed where Emiko began to fuss over him as doctors and nurses do.

"Really, Sanada-san, I know we told you to stay in bed, so what were you thinking climbing around in your condition? You're supposed to call us if you need something, not hide from us." she said while tucking Naruto under the blankets and checking his pulse and blood pressure before marking some things down on his chart. "Now you stay in that bed and be a good boy for the Hokage while I go and get your breakfast. Remember your manners and -"

"Don't worry, Emiko-san; I'll look out for him while you're gone." Sarutobi cut off her scolding, anxious yet hesitant to get to the reason of his visit.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Emiko bowed while sending another warning look to Naruto, before leaving the room.

Once she was gone, silence descended on the room as Sarutobi stared at Naruto, who refused to look at his face. Sarutobi tried to gather his thoughts and come up with a basic plan for how to manage the conversation, when Naruto asked him, "What do you want?"

Sarutobi winced inside at the quiet, almost broken tone the boy used. "I wanted to see how you were, and to talk to you about some things." he answered with a smile. "Why were you on the floor Naruto?" he questioned both out of curiosity and to stall for time.

Rather than answer his question, Naruto just said, "'m fine, go away."

Sighing, Sarutobi replied gently, "I still need to talk to you about some things, Naruto. It's about what happened with your grandparents."

"They're not my grandparents!" Naruto shouted angrily as he surged forward as in actually planning to attack him, before leaning away again though his glare remained.

"Naruto, please listen to me." Sarutobi interrupted before Naruto could continue with his tirade. "We've found out what really happened, and your grandparents weren't the ones to hurt you." When Naruto didn't respond, Sarutobi continued. "We found out that it was an assassin - a foreign ninja - who actually killed them, and who tried to kill you."

"Liar!" Naruto snarled heatedly. "I was there, I seen em, they tried to make me go away!"

"Naruto, do you know what a Genjutsu is?" Sarutobi patiently asked. When Naruto frowned, he continued. "A Genjutsu is an illusion technique that can make people see or hear things that aren't real, or act differently."

Naruto's scowl returned. "So? You tink somebody made a Geni...Genjui...illusion to make em hurt me? Yeah right! 'm not stupid, I know what happened! How come they want to do that?"

"You're right Naruto, that's not what happened." Sarutobi said, drawing a startled look from the blond child. "The Genjutsu - the illusion - wasn't put on them, but on you. It made you see things that didn't really happen. The enemy ninja made you think that your grandparents were trying to hurt you, so that you couldn't call for help while he murdered your grandparents." When Sarutobi saw Naruto's confused look, he backtracked. "Murder is when someone, a bad person, takes the life of an innocent person. It's one of the jobs of ninja to stop the bad people. The man who killed your grandparents was a very bad person. Luckily, the Anbu got there in time to stop him from killing you as well."

"Then where were da Anbu when the assin was trying ta kill Takeshi and Susuki!? If there was a bad man then why didn't they stop him!?" Naruto retorted.

"I'm afraid the bad man killed the Anbu that was at your house. Then he used the Anbu's mask to try to get you last night. Do you remember the man who attacked you? That was the bad man, but the good Anbu with the toad mask stopped him."

"Nuh uh! The Anbu can't be beat by anyone! You're makin all this stuff up!" Naruto accused angrily. "The Sanadas hate me, an they always did! And da Anbu hate me too! They all want ta hurt me and make me go away!" By the end, tears were silently pouring down Naruto's face.

When Sarutobi moved to hug him, the child swiped at his arms and moved further into his blankets.

Sitting on the side of the bed without getting too close to the boy, Sarutobi gently asked, "If your grandparents really hated you, would they have left all their things to you? If the Anbu hated you then why would Gama save you last night?"

"Wh-what? Whadda mean le-left me their th-things?" Naruto managed to ask through his sniffles.

Smiling sadly, Sarutobi said, "They wanted you to have their house and everything in it, Naruto. They made it official, like when they adopted you. It all belongs to you now."

Still confused, Naruto asked "Why?"

Sarutobi moved a little closer to the boy as he answered. "They wanted to make sure you were taken care of if anything ever happened to them. They wanted you to be able to live happily when they were gone. Now does that sound like something they would do if they hated you?"

When Naruto didn't immediately respond to his question, Sarutobi decided to back off slightly to let him absorb the information. The boy had gotten his tears under control, and seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

Sarutobi was slightly surprised when the first words out of Naruto's mouth were, "So, all their stuff is mine now?"

Frowning slightly Sarutobi went along with the odd question. "Their things do belong to you, but I'll be handling their money and house until you're a little older." _'Perhaps the boy just needs time to adjust to what I've told him? After all, when someone is as confused as Naruto must be, it's natural to latch on to whatever makes the most sense. Now I know for sure that a therapist will be needed to help him cope with everything.' _"You can take a few things with you when you move back into the orphanage if you like, but I'm afra-"

"No!" Naruto shouted, staring Sarutobi in the face for the first time since he entered the room. "I'm not going back there! Ever! Why can't I stay at the house? You said it's mine now, so I wanna stay there!"

"Naruto," Sarutobi began gently. "you're too young to live in and take care of such a large house by yourself. Who would take care of you, or clean the house? Who would pay the bills?"

Sarutobi shook his head. "When you're older and can take better care of yourself, you can move back in if you want, but until then, you'll have to go back to the orph-"

"But I can take care of myself!" Naruto interrupted again. "I can make food, and I can pick up like my chores, and if the house is too big then I can use somma da money and get a small one!"

"Naruto, that's simply not-" Sarutobi began before frowning in thought. _'Actually…maybe with some changes… that might be the best answer to this problem. If Naruto were moved into an apartment in secret… a secret known only to trusted Anbu and myself… that would keep him both safe and hidden from the more unfriendly portions of the village. Obviously Naruto couldn't be completely on his own. Added to the therapy sessions, I would have to make sure to visit as often as possible, and probably find someone among the more…child friendly… Anbu to act as nannies or babysitters during the day. Incognito of course. Though the numbers of trustworthy Anbu are slightly fewer right now than I'd like to believe, I can make up for that with various security seals around the apartment… that would settle the problem of how to watch him without making him panic from that "feeling" of his as well. There are a few things that would still need to be worked out, but perhaps this is for the best.'_

Under normal circumstances, it would have been doubtful that Sarutobi would have ever considered something like that but then again, Naruto had sadly never been normal despite Sarutobi's efforts. His guilt at what happened to the boy -and the fact that Sarutobi was deliberately covering it up- no doubt played a part in Sarutobi's relatively easy acceptance of a four-year-old living "on his own". Especially when said four-year-old was like a grandson to him.

Looking back to the determined child, Sarutobi gave the patented response to a child's request. "I'll think about it." Naruto didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer, but he kept quiet and looked away again. Concerned, Sarutobi asked, "Naruto, what's wrong?" For a short while there, Naruto had been back to his normal, loud self. Now though, he had returned to the quiet state he had been in since the night before.

"Nothing," Naruto muttered without looking up. Sarutobi frowned. For all his skill and knowledge, he didn't know what to say or do to bring back his beloved grandchild. It wasn't something he had much experience with, and considering how badly he'd botched it with Asuma, what little experience he had probably wouldn't help much. He would have to find the best possible therapist to help Naruto recover.

Before Sarutobi could try to speak, the door opened and Emiko returned with a tray of food. "Ah, forgive me for the wait, Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun," she said while giving a slight bow. Placing the tray in front of Naruto, she smiled. "You must be hungry, Naruto-kun, so make sure you eat it all up. You're still a growing boy after all."

Naruto didn't answer, though he did pick up the chopsticks and poke at the food. Smiling slightly at Naruto's picky eating habits, Sarutobi reached out and ruffled his hair, pretending not to notice Naruto's flinch. "Make sure you do what the nurses tell you, Naruto, otherwise they'll make you stay here even longer."

"Kay," was Naruto's quiet answer.

Satisfied, Sarutobi left the room behind Emiko, planning to head back to his office and give Naruto's idea some serious thought.

* * *

Once the Old Man had left the room, Naruto poked at his food for a few more minutes.

Deciding enough time had passed, he put down his chopsticks and climbed out of bed. Tiptoeing over to the door, he slowly cracked it open, peering out into the hallway. Seeing and feeling no one, Naruto darted back to his bed and grabbed his tray of food before returning to the door. Glancing around once again, Naruto quickly made his way down the hall to the room next to his.

Looking around once more, Naruto peeked into the darkened room to see and feel that the only one in the room was a patient who seemed to still be asleep, despite the tray of food sitting on the bedside table. Darting inside, Naruto quietly closed the door behind him. Slowly making his way over to the patient, Naruto quietly traded his tray of food with the sleeping man's. Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto took the man's food and began to leave.

Just as he was reaching for the door knob, Naruto was hit by a wave of guilt. If his food was poisoned like he thought, then wouldn't trading it with the other man's mean that Naruto was hurting him? Maybe even killing him? Hesitating, Naruto made his way back to the man's bedside.

Standing by the black haired man's bed, Naruto fidgeted slightly before placing the tray on a nearby chair. Looking back to the patient, Naruto bowed low. "It's not like I wanna make you go away or anything…" He whispered. "I… it's just… 'm scared… I… I don't wanna get hurt again. So…'m sorry if you get sick or die ." Feeling somewhat more at ease, Naruto grabbed the tray and darted back to his room.

* * *

A few moments after Naruto had left the room, the "patient" sat up in bed. Looking at the door, the "patient" went up in a puff of smoke, revealing a Tori masked Anbu. "Well shit…this isn't a good sign. Hokage-sama is going to want to know about this."

When his stomach growled, Tori paused. "I'll go after breakfast," he said to himself. Removing his mask, Tori grabbed a pair of chopsticks and picked up a piece of egg. Just as he was about to take a bite, he paused. It was crazy to think someone would poison a four-year-old…then again, Naruto wasn't exactly a normal everyday child either...and someone _had _just tried to assassinate the kid _twice_ in the past twenty-four hours.

"Maybe I should pick something up on the way to the Hokage's office..." Tori muttered as he put his mask back on and Shunshined from the room, leaving his food untouched.

* * *

Returning to his room, Naruto climbed into bed and placed his new tray in front of him. Grabbing his chopsticks, Naruto quickly began to eat his food, grimacing in distaste. _Her_ cooking had been much better than this.

He still felt guilty about the man in the other room though. _'Maybe…maybe he won't eat the food…maybe he won't wake up and the nurses will take the food away…maybe there's not even anything wrong with the food…'_

Shaking his head to try to rid himself of his thoughts, Naruto turned his attention to what the Old Man had said.

Naruto didn't believe a word from the Old Man about the Sanadas. He knew what he had seen, what he had felt, what they had said. The Old Man was trying to lie to him, to trick him. Why would there be an Anbu outside his house? Why would the same Anbu try to kill him unless the Old Man told him to? After all, the Anbu did whatever the Old Man wanted. So that meant that the Old Man had sent that man, Nezumi, to kill him. What Naruto didn't understand was why he had the other one, Gama, save him. And then trying to convince Naruto that what happened didn't. It didn't make sense.

Still, it did help Naruto achieve some of his own goals, and since all the Sanadas' things were his now, he didn't have to try to steal any of the scrolls he wanted. The Old Man even seemed to like Naruto's plan for living on his own, which would also be easier with the Sanadas money.

All Naruto had to do now was convince the Old Man to let him have a smaller house, and to keep an eye out for the next attack. Let him think that Naruto believed his words. Yes, once he got out of the hospital, he could get stronger, until the time came when he no longer had to be afraid, when he was stronger than everyone else, then he would have answers…and justice… for all that had been done to him. Naruto's hand rose to caress the two scars slanting across his left cheek.

Takeshi had always said that Naruto was impatient. But for this, for his answers, Naruto could wait as long as it took. Believe it.(1)

* * *

Several hours later, Sarutobi let out a tired sigh. Unlike the many previous times in the last couple of days, this sigh was more relaxed. Finally, things seemed to be going right. He had a therapist he felt he could trust set up for Naruto, one Yoshino Nara. While he didn't know how she felt about Naruto, Yoshino was a woman who kept all her oaths, whether they be given as a shinobi, a doctor, or a wife. She would take care of Naruto's mind simply because it was her duty.

His idea for an apartment was all but settled, despite some lingering doubts. Those doubts were mainly from when he consulted some of his trusted Anbu.

* * *

**Flashback**

"What do you think of this plan? Tatsu, Inu?" Sarutobi asked around his new pipe.

Tatsu was the first to answer. "I'm not really sure this is a good idea, Hokage-sama. The boy is only four, should we really let him live by himself? Surely putting him back in the orphanage is better than that."

"Oh, I don't know," Inu began conversationally. "I wasn't much older than him when I started living alone, and I turned out alright." The dog-masked man didn't seem to notice the stares he got for that statement.

"What's wrong?" Inu asked Tatsu, who quickly turned away, muttering "Nothing." quietly.

Sarutobi felt a sweat drop form on his head. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all."

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

The apartment he had chosen for Naruto wasn't too close to the Hokage Tower, so as to avoid being too obvious, yet not at the edge of the village either.

Sarutobi had already made arrangements to rent the apartment, as well as to ensure that it was furnished and ready for Naruto to move in as soon as he left the hospital. He had also compiled a number of seals to place in and around the apartment for security. With all the different seals he had planned, Naruto's apartment would be one of the most protected places in Konoha. Not to mention, one of the most watched.

Best of all, Naruto wouldn't even have to worry about "feeling" his ANBU guards, since they would be in a room across the street, where the seals' "observation room" would be. The others would be stationed in the surrounding area just in case. Of course, Naruto had no need to know any of this, since that would raise some very awkward questions.

The final problem was finding a babysitter for Naruto. While there were a few people that he had in mind, Yoshino had suggested that he hold off on it until she had some time to talk with Naruto and figure out his state of mind. They still had no idea just what Naruto's current mindset was, so until Yoshino had talked to him any actions Sarutobi took could just worsen the situation.

Sarutobi frowned when he thought of what Tori had reported. Both Naruto's actions and words disturbed him. Yoshino had assured him that it wasn't too unusual considering his recent brush with death by poison, but Sarutobi still worried for his surrogate grandson. Hopefully, Yoshino would be able to make some progress when she visited Naruto tomorrow.

For now, Sarutobi had no choice but to wait. He frowned in thought. He'd have to send Jiraiya a report as well. The man might not be living up to his responsibilities as Naruto's godfather, but he would still want to know about this.

* * *

The next morning, Naruto was sitting in his hospital bed. And he was _so BORED_! He had already finished his neighbor's breakfast, and now just like the day before, he was stuck sitting here. He actually found himself missing the Old Man's company, even though Naruto saw him yesterday. _'There's nuthin to do here!' _Naruto mentally railed. _'Why don't they gimme something to color? I'd give my soul for some crayons.' _he grumbled to himself.

Throwing himself onto his back, Naruto began counting the tile on the ceiling. Again. _'Seven, eight, nine, ten, one more than ten, two more than ten, three more than ten…' _He'd have to find out what came after ten one of these days.

The sound of footsteps from the hallway broke his concentration. _'Probably the nurse coming to get the tray…' _he thought. They never sent the same nurse twice in a row, and the nurses rarely stayed for long. The only one that really stood out in his mind was a young brunette. _'Kaori I think her name was.' _She was one of the youngest nurses he had seen, though the only real reason he remembered her was because she came to visit him the day before.

Just a minute after he had swapped lunches and made it back to his room, she had walked in and sat down next to his bed. She had said she was on her lunch break and she thought he might be lonely. Naruto had never really talked to her, even when she had asked if it was ok for her to eat there. How was he supposed to know where people were allowed to eat? She was the one that worked there, not him!

He had hoped she'd just eat quietly and leave, but the lady had just gone on and on about anything and everything for nearly an hour. When she had finally left she had smiled and wished him well, before taking his tray and going.

At the time, he had thought she was annoying, but now, a part of him hoped she would come back again today. Even listening to her talk about stuff that he didn't know anything about was better than just sitting here.

Looking towards the door, Naruto wasn't too surprised to see the Old Man walk in. The woman who came with him was a little more surprising. She was about as tall as the Old Man, although she was a lot younger. She had dark hair and eyes, and she was pretty with a pleasant smile. The woman was dressed in the same kind of clothes that _she _used to wear around the house.

"Good morning, Naruto. How are you feeling today?" The Old man greeted as he took a seat by the bed. Naruto managed to keep from flinching this time when the Old Man reached out to ruffle his hair.

"M'fine." Naruto muttered while looking down, his eyes darting from the Old Man to the strange woman and back.

"Well that's good." The Old Man smiled softly. "Naruto, there's someone I want you to meet," he said while gesturing to the woman. "This is Yoshino Nara, and she's going to be talking with you about some things."

The woman now named Yoshino stepped closer. "Good morning, Sanada-san, it's a pleasure to me-"

"My name's not Sanada!" Naruto shouted angrily. How dare they keep calling him that! The Sanadas weren't his family, and he wasn't one of them. He was an Uzumaki, damn it!

"Ah, I'm sorry, Naruto-san - do you mind if I call you Naruto?" she asked. When he nodded slowly she continued. "I seem to have been looking at the wrong paper work, silly me. Anyway, I'm pleased to meet you Naruto-san." She finished with a polite bow.

Without even thinking it, Naruto returned the bow as _that woman _had taught him.

"You can call me Yoshino-sensei, Nara-sensei, Yoshino-chan, or whatever you're most comfortable with. Although, I'd much prefer if you could call me Yoshino-chan. Is it alright if I call you Naruto-kun?" Yoshino came out of her bow and sat down in a chair, not too close to the bed, yet not too far away.

Glancing at the Old Man, Naruto shifted so he was leaning against the headboard. "Kay," he muttered cautiously.

"Naruto," the Old Man began, seizing Naruto's attention again. "Yoshino-sensei is a counselor. Her job is to assist people who are suffering emotionally from traumatic experiences like you." Naruto could only stare. There were an awful lot of big words in there.

The sound of feminine giggling drew his attention back to Yoshino. "What the Hokage means is I help people who have had bad things happen to them. Sometimes they can get really sad, or angry, or confused. So I help them sort things out so they can get better."

'_Oh, well why didn't the Old Man just say so? Stupid old people and their big stupid words.'_

"I don't need your help. Go away!" Naruto spat.

"Naruto!" the Old Man scolded. "Where are your manners? I know that you were taught better than that."

Naruto flinched visibly at that statement.

"Tsk, now this won't do at all." Yoshino interrupted. "If it's alright with you Naruto, we can talk alone for a bit. After all, the Hokage is a busy man, and he needs to get back to work."

Naruto wasn't old enough to understand the subtle scolding and dismissal that Yoshino was giving the Hokage. So he responded with a well thought out retort. "I don't care." Yes, well thought out indeed.

"That's good," Yoshino said before the Old Man could scold him again. "Well, you heard him, Hokage-sama. Shoo, shoo." She finished with a shooing motion towards Sarutobi.

"Very well," the Old Man sighed. "I'll come visit you again later Naruto." With that and a wave, he vanished in a spiral of leaves.

"Men, always making a mess," Yoshino said while shaking her head. "So, Naruto-kun, is there anything you'd like to do?"

Naruto sent a confused look her way. _'Do? Like what? It's not like there's anything _to_ do in here.'_

When he remained silent, Yoshino spoke again. "Would you like to color? Or do a puzzle maybe?" She reached into her bag and pulled out a box of crayons and a coloring book and notebook.

Naruto stared at the crayons like they were the Holy Grail. Glancing wide eyed back and forth between Yoshino and the crayons, he fearfully asked, "You're not the Devil are you?"

She looked surprised for a moment before smiling again. "Of course not, silly! Don't you think I'm too pretty to be the Devil?" Naruto couldn't be sure but he thought she was laughing at him.

"So…I don't hafta give you anything for the crayons?" he asked cautiously.

"Nope, they're completely free. Would you like them?" she asked pleasantly as she held out the crayon box for him.

Naruto quickly snatched them out of her hands before shuffling back. The black haired woman just smiled and leaned forward to place the coloring book on his bed. When he saw that she was settling back in her chair and opening her notebook, he grabbed the coloring book and excitedly flipped through it. It was filled with all kinds of pictures, sorted by animals, then toys and other things. Naruto scowled when he came across an image of his hated enemy. Vegetables. Specifically, asparagus. _'Even in the hospital it finds me.'_ He mentally snarled. _'And it actually has eyes! I knew it was evil!'_

Naruto turned the page with a humph and began coloring in a bunny. He couldn't quite figure it out, but for some reason, the bunny made him feel more relaxed, protected even. As a reward, Naruto decided to color the bunny in the most awesome color ever. Orange. They sat in silence for a while, Naruto coloring and Yoshino just sitting there and smiling slightly as she scribbled something down in her notebook from time to time. It would be Yoshino who eventually broke the silence.

"Is orange your favorite color, Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked, startling Naruto slightly.

He eyed her for a moment, wondering when she had moved her chair to the small table by his bed. When she just kept smiling pleasantly at him, he decided to be a little more polite and answer her.

"Yeah," he spoke clearly without shouting for the first time in two days.

Yoshino smiled wider and nodded. "Are there any other colors you like?"

Naruto eyed her warily again. "Not really," he spoke cautiously. _'I wonder what she's up to?"_

"What about rabbits, do you like them?" Yoshino asked.

"Huh?" Naruto stared at her confused. "What's a rabi?"

"Rabbit Naruto-kun. It's another name for bunnies," the dark haired woman explained.

"Oh. I guess so. Looking at it makes me feel good," Naruto said absentmindedly as he returned to his coloring.

"That's nice. I always feel better when I spend some time around deer. Their just the cutest things." Yoshino said cheerfully.

Naruto looked at her curiously. "Deer huh? So is this what you do? You just talk to people bout the colors they like best? And animals?"

"Something like that, though we don't have to talk about colors. We can talk about whatever you want Naruto-kun," she offered.

Naruto snorted and began scribbling harder at the bunny. "I don't wanna talk."

"That's okay. Would you like to play a card game instead? Like Go Fish?" Yoshino asked amicably.

Curious, Naruto put down his crayons and scooted over to the side table Yoshino was sitting by. "Kay. What's a card game? And how da ya fish with em?"

* * *

Yoshino let out a sigh as she strode down the hospital hallway. She had just left young Naruto's room, and she still had to go over her notes and write a report for the Hokage.

She had only been with Naruto for a couple of hours, but she had picked up several things that worried her. The first being those scars of his. While he hadn't gone so far as to cover them up, he _had_ tried to keep his left cheek out of direct sight.

His personality had definitely changed from what the Hokage had told her of. He hadn't been confrontational exactly, but he didn't actively participate either. He acted extremely introverted and continuously asked to be "left alone" in some form or other, both verbally and physically. And, he had acted extremely suspicious for a not even five year old.

When she taught him how to play Go Fish, he had at first seemed somewhat excited and he had really gotten into the game. The disturbing part came from how every time he asked for a card and she said Go Fish, he asked her if she was lying. And no matter how many times she promised not to lie or cheat, he would always ask again the next time. She also noticed how he never called her by name, nor smiled at her. Oh sure, he smiled to himself from time to time, and had even asked questions. But he never smiled at her, and his questions were always the result of something she said that he didn't understand.

Given his current state, she would have to agree with the Hokage's plan to keep him in his own apartment, separate from others. While her maternal instincts railed against deliberately isolating a child only a year or two older than her Shikamaru, the doctor in her understood that placing Naruto into a large group while in his current mindset, would not only hurt him, but possibly those around him as well. Not to say that Naruto should be completely separated, but the number of people around him would have to be kept small, and only those he trusted. If there still were any.

The boy needed help, that was for sure. If there was no one left he was comfortable with, then they'd have to find someone who could eventually befriend him and earn his trust. The time spent around strangers would have to be kept to a minimum and slowly increased as Naruto improved. Only time would tell, and Yoshino fully intended to make sure he did. This would no doubt include many more sessions with the blond haired child. In fact, Yoshino believed that helping this child, might be the toughest, yet most important assignment of her career.

* * *

Two days later, Sarutobi stood in a simple looking apartment. To any outsiders, it appeared to be a normal, one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. There was a kitchen with a small pantry, and a back room where the washer and dryer were located. All three rooms, bed, bath, and kitchen, connected with a modest living room, with simple, yet sturdy furnishings. The kitchen was more or less stocked, and the bedroom and bathroom were merely awaiting the arrival of Naruto's bedding, clothes, and hygiene supplies.

All in all, it was a simple looking apartment. The truth was that, hidden underneath the hardwood floor and carpeting, or in the walls and ceiling, were a complex array of seals crafted by the Sandaime himself.

Surrounding the door and windows, were a number of detection seals, some to register the chakra signatures of those allowed to enter the apartment -which was currently restricted to two outside of the soon to be owner. There were also a number of barrier seals designed to slow the entrance of any unauthorized people. These seals would pick up on anyone generating killing intent. The barrier itself would only impede someone for a brief moment, while alerting both the Hokage and the team of Anbu stationed in an observation room down the hall.

If someone were to try to force their way past the fairly weak barrier, the second line of defense would kick in, first administering a large voltage of Raiton chakra, then temporary sealing the chakra of the intruder, before releasing a rather potent knock out gas. Each line of defense would kick in if the previous methods failed to stop the intruder, assuming that the Anbu or the Hokage himself failed to arrive sooner.

The same detection seals were engraved all over the apartment, keyed to even more seals that would set up a barrier preventing unauthorized Shunshins into the apartment. There were still more detection seals hidden all over, registering the chakra signatures of anyone who set foot on that floor of the building.

There were even more seals hidden near the building entrances to keep an eye on who the other occupants were, as well as to monitor the chakra capacity of those who entered. All of these seals were keyed to transmit the information to the Anbu observation room and the Hokage's office, both the administrative one in the tower and Sarutobi's own private study at the Sarutobi estate.

Sarutobi had spent the last two and a half days creating, hiding, and testing these seals in preparation of Naruto's move in. All that was left was to attune the seals to Naruto's chakra.

His only dilemma right now was how to protect Naruto when he traveled outside the apartment. The Anbu, while efficient, were also apparently easily noticed by Naruto, or at least their presence was. Sarutobi wouldn't be concerned about this normally, except for the fact that Naruto would no doubt become increasingly curious as to why he needed an Anbu detail. While he could play it off as protection from any other "assassins" still in the village, that excuse could only last so long. He also couldn't tell Naruto the truth right now either. So, he was left with trying to decide how to guard Naruto, without it being revealed that the Anbu were there.

Sarutobi had considered, and truth be told, was still considering secretly placing a tracking seal on Naruto. The only thing stopping him was worry over how Naruto would react in his current state if he were to discover that Sarutobi had done so without his permission.

Perhaps he could find an Anbu to be Naruto's babysitter, then that would help, once Naruto trusted them anyway. For the time being, he would have to place undercover Anbu in the areas Naruto wished to travel through. The boy hadn't shown any signs of being able to sense being followed, so as long as the Anbu wore "plain clothes" then Naruto shouldn't pick up on them. Hopefully.

"Well, I suppose I better go get Naruto released from the hospital." Sarutobi spoke to himself before Shunshining away.

Reappearing outside Naruto's hospital room, Sarutobi could sense two chakra signatures within. One was Naruto, and the other he recognized as Yoshino Nara. Yoshino had insisted that she be there to observe Naruto as they moved him in. Sarutobi didn't know just what exactly she would be looking for, but he trusted her opinion on this.

Politely knocking on the door, Sarutobi waited a brief moment before opening the door and walking in. "Good afternoon, Naruto, Yoshino-sensei." he greeted cheerfully.

Yoshino stood and bowed politely while Naruto just glanced at him from under his bangs. "Good afternoon Hokage-sama. You're doing well, I hope," Yoshino said respectfully.

"Oh, I'm quite fine, Yoshino-sensei." Sarutobi nodded genially. Turning to Naruto, Sarutobi asked, "Are you ready to leave Naruto? I've found a nice apartment for you, and everything is set up. All we need to do is get whatever you want from your house and you can move in."

"…Really?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

"Really." Sarutobi chuckled. "So what do you say we get you checked out and go get some ice cream?"

"Kay." Naruto muttered as he climbed out of bed and came to stand a few feet away from Sarutobi.

He grimaced mentally when he saw that the child was still tense, like he was ready to bolt at any second. Sighing mentally, Sarutobi decided against offering his hand and merely said "Well let's get going."

The check out process was a quiet affair, with Sarutobi filling out the paperwork while Yoshino watched Naruto, asking the occasional question about ice cream of all things. Once everything was in order, Sarutobi calmly led the way out of the hospital, with Naruto a few feet behind and Yoshino a few feet behind Naruto.

Sarutobi wished Naruto would walk beside him, or let him carry him like he usually did. There was nothing more painful then realizing that one of your loved ones wanted nothing to do with you. Still, Sarutobi knew that Yoshino would be able to help Naruto. He refused to even consider otherwise.

When they eventually arrived at an ice cream stand, Naruto and Yoshino both stepped closer to him as they looked over the small menu. Sarutobi let the others order first and then ordered himself. In the end, all three of them chose chocolate, and while Yoshino expressed some exaggerated surprise, both she and Sarutobi knew it wasn't coincidence. They had planned to order whatever Naruto did so they were prepared for what happened next.

Naruto "accidentally" pushed his ice cream off his cone with his tongue. At least, that's what Naruto meant it to look like. It was a clumsy attempt that one didn't even have to be a ninja to notice, but Sarutobi and Yoshino both pretended not to see it. When Naruto pouted, Yoshino offered her own chocolate ice cream cone, stating that she had to watch her sweets and that Naruto could have hers. Naruto no doubt thought his ploy was successful, and that he had fooled the grown ups. He couldn't have known that Sarutobi and Yoshino had discussed this likelihood before Naruto was released from the hospital.

Walking toward the Sanada house, Naruto was far more relaxed as he ate his ice cream, almost as if he'd been sedated. He even walked next to Sarutobi, though he didn't really notice it. If he had, Naruto probably wouldn't have come closer than three feet. The reason for this was surprisingly simple. Naruto's sense of taste was enhanced, and ice cream of any kind happened to be among what a three year old Naruto had dubbed "Bestest nummies ever!"

Indeed, when Tsunade had warned him that Naruto would be a picky eater, Sarutobi thought she had meant just that. And while Naruto was indeed a very picky eater, whenever he happened to eat certain foods, like ice cream, or milk even, he would gain a happily glazed look on his face that to Sarutobi looked uncomfortably close to Jiraiya's look when he was peeping. Still, as long as he ignored that, Sarutobi couldn't help but find the look on Naruto's face adorable. Yoshino certainly thought so, judging by her giggles.

The plus side to Naruto's eating habit was that while he was eating his ice cream, he was more or less dead to the world, allowing him to relax and Sarutobi to finally get close to his surrogate grandson, if even only for a few minutes.

Sadly, those short minutes ended when they arrived at the Sanada house, just a few moments after Naruto finished his ice cream cone. In an instant, the happy, content look on Naruto's face, as well as the aura of innocent joy that he gave off, vanished, replaced by a sullen, angry, tense, and perhaps worst of all, introverted boy. Although the chocolate that covered his face lessened the transformation slightly, as did Naruto's squirming when Yoshino used a napkin to scrub his face clean.

Kneeling in front of Naruto, Sarutobi gently took the boy by the shoulders. "All right, Naruto, we're here. You can take almost anything you want, and I'll use a sealing scroll to transport them. You can't take any furniture or anything from the kitchen, as that's already been taken care of at your new apartment." When Naruto nodded cautiously, Sarutobi continued. "Now I'll go get your bedding and clothes, and Yoshino-sensei will help you with any toys or books you want. Okay?" When he received another nod, Sarutobi proceeded to enter the house and head up the stairs to Naruto's bedroom.

He entered Naruto's bedroom with the others following behind him, though that only lasted long enough for Naruto to grab a small backpack and exit the room.

Sighing, Sarutobi went about sealing Naruto's sheets and clothes into the scroll, before gathering the scattered toys that Naruto had left behind and sealed them as well. Looking over the now bare room and bed, Sarutobi couldn't help but feel angry. Angry at the Sanadas, angry at the villagers and ninjas, angry at Iwa for bearing such undying hatred for anything connected to the Yondaime, angry at Suna for being the most bitter of allies, angry at the Kyuubi, angry at Jiraiya and the Yondaime, but most of all angry at himself. If it weren't for them, Naruto could be living a much happier life.

He had witnessed the hatred and ignorance of his own village, and he couldn't help but wonder where he had gone wrong. The village's actions were not what the village built by the Shodai and Nidaime would have done. So he must have failed at some point, for this to have happened. Shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, Sarutobi headed downstairs to the living room to await Naruto.

* * *

Naruto left the room quickly after grabbing his bag, trying to keep his inner thoughts from showing. _'How dare he act like that, he's just a liar. That Old Man is nothing but a phony, and one day, I'm gonna make him sorry!'_

Still muttering angrily to himself, Naruto entered the Sanada's study. Once there he went to the shelves and began grabbing scrolls. He started with those in the area where he had seen Takeshi go for teaching him about chakra. From there he just grabbed whatever caught his eye without really taking in what he was grabbing. He had thought that some of them had to be powerful Ninjutsu so he'd just grab some and look over them later. Unfortunately for Naruto, no one kept actual D rank techniques or higher laying around for children to find. The only techniques he would come away with were basic academy level techniques that Takeshi had once had to teach, years ago. Those were the only actual techniques he grabbed, the other scrolls being more instructional or theory based.

Quickly shoving them into his backpack, Naruto walked over to the desk Takeshi had used and opened one of the drawers. Inside the drawer were the kunai holster and shuriken pouch that he had seen Takeshi grab whenever he showed Naruto how to throw kunai and shuriken. Stuffing them into his bag, Naruto quickly zipped it shut and closed the drawer before grabbing an ornamental falcon from Susuki's desk, trying to seem as if that was all he came to get, as Yoshino stepped into the room.

"I got everything now," Naruto said quietly as he tilted his head to the floor while watching Yoshino from beneath his bangs. She looked around the room once before walking towards Naruto.

"This is a beautiful study Naruto," Yoshino said with a smile. "Did you spend a lot of time in here?" she asked pleasantly.

"Yeah." Naruto muttered as he headed for the door, with the falcon held tightly to his tiny chest as if afraid of dropping it…or throwing it.

Little did he know that Yoshino was well aware of the scrolls he took and that she had purposefully hung back so he could. She also knew that he only grabbed the ornament to draw attention away from his bag. He was lucky in one area though. Yoshino assumed that he had grabbed more scrolls from the drawer, as she didn't know what was kept in them. So she didn't know that he now had a full complement of kunai and shuriken.

Walking out to the front door, he saw the Old Man standing there waiting. "Is there anything else you want, Naruto?" he asked gently.

Naruto shook his head and walked out the door, already sick of being in this place and the memories that came with it threatening to bring him to tears. He vaguely heard the Old Man talk about how he would put everything in storage and handle the rest of the Sanadas' assets until Naruto was older.

The rest of the walk passed in silence on Naruto's part, as he tried to keep his mind off the thing clutched in his arms. Eventually they arrived outside an apartment building. It was only at this point that Naruto realized something. He couldn't "feel" anything. How long had it been? When was the last time he had that feeling? Was it… was it that first night at the hospital?

Before Naruto could really think about that, Sarutobi spoke to him again. "Here we are Naruto. Shall we go in and see your room?"

Naruto stared at him for a moment, wondering if he had something to do with the mysterious absence of "the feeling". Deciding that he had already come this far, Naruto nodded and followed the Old Man into the building.

Once inside, they headed up the stairs, first one floor, then two, finally stopping on the third floor. Then they walked a short distance down the hallway, pausing outside a door labeled 7C. "Well, here we are, Naruto," the Old Man smiled as he reached out and laid one hand on the door knob, placing the other on Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto frowned when he felt…something course through his body. Naruto blinked and looked around as the Old Man opened the door and stepped inside, drawing Naruto in with him.

Once inside, Naruto stared around a normal looking living room. There was a small couch, as well as a cushioned chair near a low coffee table. Otherwise, the room was rather sparse, with little in the way of decorations.

"Naruto," the Old Man's voice broke him from his observations. "Let me show you where everything is, alright?" Naruto nodded and followed him over to the kitchen. "Now, I know you used to help Susuki every now and then, but you don't have to worry about that here. I'll come over to cook for you, or I'll get a babysitter if I can't make it."

Naruto scowled at this, "I don needa babysitter! I can do it myself!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto," the Old Man interrupted, "but this is the only way you can live on your own until you're older. I promise, you'll be left alone for the rest of the time, until you're ready to be around people again. Okay?"

No it was _not_ ok. Naruto didn't want anyone to be around him. He didn't want people "checking up on him", or cooking for him. He wanted to be left alone, because only when alone was he safe. Only when alone could he be at peace.

Naruto wanted to scream these things at the Old Man, he wanted to rage and fight until they left him alone. But he didn't. Instead, he sullenly nodded his head and allowed the Old Man to show him around the rest of the apartment, and then let him unseal Naruto's things and finish setting up his new room.

He spent the rest of the night in silence for the most part, occasionally answering questions from Yoshino about "how he liked the apartment" and, "would it be alright if I visit you from time to time". Somehow he found himself agreeing, and then, after what seemed like forever, he found himself alone in the apartment.

Letting out a sigh, Naruto sat on the couch and stared at the falcon ornament he had placed there when they had first arrived. He thought over the past day and what had occurred. Almost everything had gone the way he wanted. He had his own place, he had some scrolls and weapons, and there was no one watching him.

He thought about the scrolls he had taken, and how eager he was to get started on them. They were his first step to becoming the greatest nin- Naruto frowned at that thought. If he became a ninja, then he'd have to listen the Old Man, something he most definitely did not want to do.

Naruto stood from the couch and picked up the ornament. Walking into the kitchen, Naruto opened the trash can and threw away Susuki's favorite ornament. Once that was done, he nodded in satisfaction before letting out a tired yawn. There would be plenty of time to look over the scrolls and decide what he wanted out of life tomorrow. For now, he was exhausted, and he couldn't wait to climb into his bed.

* * *

1. I swear, that's the only time I plan on using that phrase.

Translations:

Gama=Toad

Tatsu=Dragon

Tori=Bird

Inu=Dog

Shunshin=Body Flicker

* * *

**AN: **Well, what do you think? Well, I hope you liked it. As always, reviews, ideas, suggestions, criticisms, etc are welcomed. How did you like my Yoshino? I don't know if my portrayal of her "therapy session" with Naruto is very accurate or not. Also, consider this the end of the "arc". The next chapter will involve a short time skip and some flashbacks. Well, that's about all I have to say this time around.

Peace, Vaan


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **

As always, thanks to Sakiku for her hardwork, and to all of the people who've taken the time to review. I should have replied to everyone, but if I missed you, then I apologize. As always, reviews/criticisims are welcome. Without further ado, I give you chapter 8 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

_'THOUGHTS'_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Two Years Later**

Dawn crept slowly over the village of Konoha. As darkness gave way to light, the guards at the gate and around the walls breathed a little easier. In the early morning illumination, the village began to awaken as its streets became host to a variety of people. Traffic increased at the gate as ninja began heading out on or returning from missions. Others prepared themselves for an early training session, or to relieve ninja coming off of the previous night's shift. Shop owners and merchants exited their snug homes, intent on opening their stores or stalls.

As the sun rose still higher, the streets became more crowded with villagers venturing out into the late morning sunshine. Children laughed and played in the streets, running between the legs of the adults, completely innocent and carefree. Tiny voices begged and pleaded with family members for treats or toys. Others demanded that older siblings play with them. Still others whined for ninja training.

However, there was one child who did none of these things. When the sun streamed through the window of his bedroom and landed on the blanket-covered bundle, there was no movement. Not even a sleepy shuffle. It would be more than an hour before the apartment's sole occupant stirred from his slumber. Anyone watching would be surprised when the movement came not from the bundled form, but from a small figure crawling out from the dark space beneath the bed.

Yawning sleepily, Naruto rubbed at his eyes before looking around his room. Seeing nothing out of place, he went about fixing his bed and removing the pillows he had covered with the blankets to make a vaguely body-like shape. Once everything was in order, Naruto opened the door connecting his bedroom to the living room.

Glancing around the room, Naruto slowly stepped out of his bedroom and into the open. When nothing happened, he made his way into his bathroom and started the shower. Stepping in, he sighed as the hot water cascaded down his back. After a good twenty minutes of standing in the spray, Naruto finally went about cleaning himself. Once finished, he toweled off and stood in front of the mirror. Staring into his own slit eyes, Naruto thought about what his life had become since coming here.

He had thought that he could take care of himself. And he was right…mostly…kind of…a little bit.

There _had_ been an incident or two with the laundry.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto dragged the clothes filled basket into his laundry room. Dumping it over with some difficulty, Naruto went about sorting the clothes into their respective piles. This would be the first time he did the laundry himself. For the last few weeks, his laundry had been done by the Old Man, or Yoshino, or one of the Old Man's ninja. This happened despite Naruto's rather vicious protests.

Sadly, there hadn't been much he could do about it. Despite how much he despised being in the same room as the Old Man, Naruto couldn't exactly force him to leave. So he had decided to prove to the Old Man that he could take care of himself. That way, he wouldn't come around as often.

So he had dragged out all his clothes and brought them to the laundry room. When he had lived with…_those people_…he had often helped sort the laundry, both before and after it was washed, so that part was easy enough for him.

However…he had never really done the actual washing before, though he had watched and it didn't look very hard. Just dump some of that laundry detergent in, spin the dial a few times, and close the lid. _'Piece of cake.'_ Naruto thought as he pushed his clothes into the washer. Grabbing the detergent, Naruto took the cap off and stared inside the container_. 'Hmm…how much should I use? ' _Naruto mentally frowned before shrugging and tipping the container upside down. After a few moments, Naruto nodded in satisfaction and put the detergent away.

"There we go, that oughtta do it." Naruto said happily, as he closed the lid and spun the dial to a random setting. Once that was done, Naruto returned to his living room, grabbing a piece of fruit on the way.

Sitting on his couch, Naruto picked up one of the storybooks that the Old Man had brought from the Sanadas' place. Naruto had been surprised at the things the Old Man had packed while Naruto had been busy grabbing scrolls.

Though he would never admit it, Naruto was grateful to the Old Man for grabbing all the things he did. _'If he hadn't, I'd be bored out of my mi- what's that sound? Sounds like…water?'_

Walking into his kitchen, Naruto was surprised to see… bubbles? Quickly moving into the back room, Naruto gasped when he saw the washing machine was overflowing, spewing bubbles and water everywhere_. 'Oh no! If that Old Man or one of his lackeys saw this, they'd never leave me alone.'_ Naruto thought in horror. Rushing forward, Naruto desperately tried to scoop up the water and bubbles with his hands, only to realize that he had nowhere to put it.

Thinking quickly, Naruto ran back into the kitchen and grabbed a small bucket from under the sink. Rushing back in, Naruto scooped up a bucket of water and suds, then threw open the lid of the washing machine, intending to dump the water back in. Unfortunately, he forgot to turn the washer off first.

"Blah!" Naruto cried as he received a face full of water and suds. Flailing his arms, he tried to use the bucket as a shield as he franticly looked for a way to stop the water. After a few frantic minutes, Naruto finally managed to shut off his washer, though he was left coughing and spluttering for his efforts.

Now soaking wet, Naruto gazed around the disaster ar- er- the back room with a frown. A frown, which quickly turned to wide-eyed horror when someone knocked on the door to his apartment.

"Naruto-kun, it's Yoshino. Can I come in?"

_'Shit! What do I do, what I do?!'_ Naruto thought desperately as he whipped his head back and forth between the door and the back room.

"Naruto-kun?" came Yoshino's voice, along with a new set of knocking. "Are you in there?"

'_Nononono, I can't let her see this mess! She'll tell the Old Man, and then I'll never get rid of those "babysitters". What do I do, what do I do?!' Naruto thought frantically as he desperately tried to salvage the situation. _

Running around the kitchen, Naruto stopped in his tracks when he saw the scroll sitting on his living room table. As bad as it would be for the mess in the back room to be discovered, it would be worse if the Old Man found out that Naruto was learning jutsu. Who knew what he would do? At the very least, Naruto would lose the element of surprise.

Hearing another round of knocking, Naruto called out, "Just a minute!" as he ran into the living room and grabbed the scroll. Dashing into his bedroom, Naruto quickly put the scroll back in his bag.

Tucking the bag under his bed for good measure, Naruto returned to the living room just as Yoshino opened the door.

"Naruto-kun?" Yoshino called as she walked in through the door. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly as her eyes fell on him.

Naruto tilted his head in confusion, "Whaddaya mean?"

Yoshino closed the door and put her bag against the wall. "You're soaking wet!" she said as she knelt in front of him.

'_Oh…right, that.' _Naruto mentally cringed. He had completely forgotten about that piece of information. In his panic to first hide the evidence of his little misadventure with the washer, and then to hide the scroll that he wasn't supposed to have, Naruto hadn't done anything about his clothes.

"Er… I… I fell in a puddle." Naruto said, trying to sound as cheerful as possible.

Yoshino raised an eyebrow at that. "You went outside? By yourself?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's not like it was hard or anything." Naruto quickly answered.

"Naruto-kun," Yoshino began as brushed some of his hair back out of his face. "You've refused to leave this apartment since you got here. Not to mention, it's summer, and it hasn't rained in over a week. So what really happened?" She asked with a gentle smile.

"Oh…uh, yeah, I actually just had some trouble with the sink is all." Naruto tried again. _'Who knows, maybe she'll buy this one…'_

Yoshino sighed slightly, "You don't have to lie to me Naruto-kun. I promise, I won't be mad." When Naruto didn't answer -cough couldn't think of an excuse cough - she said "Alright, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But you do need to get out of those wet clothes. I'll get the laundry started, so you go ahead and get changed."

Naruto was frozen as she walked into the kitchen. His mind was racing, trying to find some way to keep her from finding the mess. Sadly, he couldn't think of anything before she reached the back room.

He had expected her to yell, or shout, or get angry or something. So he was mildly surprised when she just turned and smiled at him.

"Oh, I see what happened. So what went wrong?" She asked gently.

Naruto blushed slightly in embarrassment. He furiously tried to think of a solution. _'What should I do? If I tell her, she might tell the Old Man…but I can't hide it now that she's found it…'_

Seeing Yoshino waiting for an answer, Naruto quickly threw together a foolproof response. "I dunno." Yes, a perfect excuse.

"Oh, I see." Yoshino said with a slight trace of laughter in her voice. "Well, we better get this cleaned up then, shouldn't we? And you still need to get out of those wet clothes."

Naruto nodded, still slightly red in the face, and went back to his room to change. When he came back, Yoshino had somehow or other cleaned up the worst of the mess, and was waiting patiently for him.

She smiled and took his wet clothes from him. "Come along Naruto, let me show you how this washer works. This is a newer machine, so it might be different from the one you're used to."

Naruto quickly agreed. Not only could he learn how to use the machine, but he also could use that excuse for the mess if the Old Man brought it up. After all, the machine is different from the one at the Sanada's house. So, he couldn't be blamed for it not working. Not that Naruto had ever actually _used_ the washer at the Sanada's place.

In fact, the only way Naruto had really helped with the laundry had been sorting and folding clothes. A rather important detail that he hadn't mentioned to the Old Man.

**Flashback Ends**

* * *

Yoshino ended up teaching Naruto how to do the laundry, and then they had spent the rest of her visit working on a puzzle together.

Of course there were a few other snags after the whole washer incident. To this day, Naruto could still detect a burnt smell whenever he went in the kitchen. Oddly enough, no one else ever said anything about it.

Another problem was the general attitude of the village towards him when nearly a year later he had started going outside.

The reason for that was an interesting story. For the first year, the Old Man or Yoshino were usually the ones making and sharing his meals. Oddly enough, whenever they did, they had put all the food in one dish. That is to say, all the beans in one bowl, all the meat on one plate, etc.

Then they each took their own share and put it on their own plates. Naruto never knew why they did that, but he never complained either. Since he didn't know anything about acquired immunities, Naruto had assumed that the food wouldn't be poisoned since they were eating it as well.

However, at the beginning of the second year the Old Man started sending "babysitters" to make his meals. These men and women (rarely the same person twice) did not follow the previous method when it came to serving the food.

They rarely ate with Naruto, and as such, he couldn't be sure they weren't putting things in his food.

So Naruto had taken to eating sandwiches and canned foods, usually an hour or so before scheduled meal times.

The problem was, Naruto quickly ran out of those kinds of food. So he took his allowance and ventured out on his most daring escapade, grocery shopping.

He earned more than a handful of headaches from that. Some stores refused to serve him, never giving him a reason why and as he wasn't inclined to return to them, never noticed that their owners had received a...lecture...and would now serve him, even if they didn't hide their distaste for him. As for those who hadn't refused him, they treated him like he was some kind of rabid animal; one that might snap at any second. Overall, the service he received wasn't all that great. And while he couldn't prove it, Naruto was sure that he was charged more than others in some places.

Still, Naruto made quite a bit of progress in the last two years. Since he spent the majority of the first year inside, he did quite a bit of reading. Yoshino would bring him new books from time to time, and he studied the scrolls he had taken from the Sanadas.

This resulted in him having a fairly impressive reading level for a six year old.

Speaking of scrolls, Naruto had been more than a little upset that he failed to get any powerful jutsu out of the Sanadas. Really, you'd think there would be at least one strong jutsu in the pile that he grabbed.

In reality, he only had two real ninjutsu scrolls. One was the Kawarimi, and the other was the Bunshin jutsu. Of those two, he had only been able to use the Kawarimi so far, as he had hit a snag with the Bunshin jutsu. While he had finally been able to use it, for some odd reason he could only make it work three out four times.

There was another - mostly theory based - scroll that talked about the Henge jutsu.

Naruto smiled to himself as he thought about that one. He had been going over that scroll for the last four months, and it was finally ready to be field tested. Really, out of the three jutsu, the Henge was the one that interested him the most. The description was a little vague, but Naruto had been able to piece together what the jutsu was supposed to do. Transformation. The ability to turn himself into anyone he wanted.

Just the thought of what he could do with that was enough to drive him into a frenzy. If this worked, he wouldn't have to worry about the strange looks he received at the stores. He might even be able to relax a bit and really _enjoy_ being outside.

Naruto giddily finished his morning hygiene and went into the kitchen. Ignoring the burnt smell, he went about making himself a simple breakfast of cereal and toast. His cooking skills were…restricted…to simple meals. Instant meals, sandwiches, an egg every now and then. That was about as far as his culinary skills went.

Still, he could survive, thrive even, without outside interference so long as he had the food to do so. The problem was, the ones who bought his groceries were usually Genin, and the list they were given usually came from the Old Man. Because of that, close to half of his food required at least some real skill in cooking to prepare.

Naruto didn't have that skill, and he didn't trust his "babysitters" so it more or less went uneaten.

However, if today's test went well, Naruto wouldn't have to worry about that ever again.

Grinning in anticipation, Naruto finished his meal and cleaned the dishes before putting them in a rack to dry.

Returning to his living room, Naruto grabbed his wallet and checked his hidden kunai. The kunai was held in a makeshift holster tied to his lower back. There was only one kunai, so Naruto had to make sure not to throw it until he was sure he could hit whatever he was aiming at.

That was something else he had improved on in the last two years. He had carved a makeshift target onto one of his walls that he kept covered with a poster he had bought.

He practiced on that during his breaks from the scrolls and dealing with his "visitors".

When he had first started throwing kunai and shuriken under Takashi's tutelage, Naruto could barely hit his target two or three times out of ten. Now he could hit at least nine out of ten, with the occasional ten out of ten.

Satisfied with the kunai, Naruto put his hands together in the Hitsuji seal and focused his chakra. When he felt he was ready, Naruto softly called out, "Henge." In a burst of smoke, Naruto was replaced with an ordinary looking ten year old boy with plain brown hair, and dark eyes.

Looking down at himself, Naruto nodded thoughtfully and walked into his bathroom to check himself out in the mirror.

More specifically, his face. The first few times he tried this, his new form had still had his birthmarks as well as his scars and slit eyes. This time though, it seemed that he had succeeded.

Now there was only one test left before he headed out. Naruto headed back into the kitchen and stood in front of the sink. Staring from his hand to the glass he had used that morning, Naruto remembered the one problem that he had been working on for the last month.

Every time before this, Naruto hadn't been able to keep his shape "solid" for lack of a better word. When he tried to grab something, his Henge would fall apart. What's worse was that Naruto didn't have the actual scroll for the Henge, so he hadn't been sure what he was doing wrong.

Ironically, if he'd had the scroll, he would have known that the actual Henge technique wasn't a ninjutsu, but a genjutsu.

The technique was only meant to create the illusion of a different person or object instead of the user, not actually transform as the name suggested.

So rather than learning an academy level genjutsu, Naruto had instead been attempting to create his own ninjutsu.

Reaching out, Naruto laughed triumphantly when his hand grabbed the glass and his Henge didn't collapse.

"I did it! I finally did it!" Naruto cackled madly.

Rushing out the door, Naruto barely paused to lock it behind him before heading out into the village.

* * *

**Translations**

Bunshin=Clone

Kawarimi=Body Replacement

Henge=Transformation

* * *

Well there it is. It's a little shorter than usual, and alot shorter than the last few chapters, but like I said at the top, the next two chapters have already been sent for proofing. And before anyone says anything, yes, I am aware that in canon, henge is a ninjutsu that creates a physical transformation and the whole it's actually a genjutsu but Naruto accidentally created a solid henge is fanon. I am also aware that in canon, Henge is one of if not the most powerful, useful, and underrated technique ever. As always, all reviews/criticsism is welcome.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **Special thanks to inarealpickle, simonmountney, and causeiambetta for picking up the slack for betaing. Also, just to remind everyone, Naruto is currently six and the other "Rookies" are four.

So, without further ado, I give you chapter nine of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Glancing at the sky, Naruto guessed the time was somewhere between ten and eleven in the morning.

Keeping an eye on his surroundings, Naruto headed towards the market district. What he found when he got there had been a rather novel experience. No matter where he went, he had been, for once, treated the same as any other child. Well, okay, he had been treated like any ten-year-old would. Close enough.

Once he had finished his shopping and returned to his apartment however, Naruto began to feel his good mood slipping. He had been treated normally, which only drove home the fact that whenever he went out as himself, he was treated differently, even unfairly.

But why? What did the villagers find so wrong with him? Was it because of his scars? Or his eyes perhaps? When he thought about it, several things about him were different from anyone else he had ever seen.

He'd never met anyone with birthmarks like his, or anyone with his slit eyes.

Hell, he'd never even met someone with blond hair before.

Could the reason for his mistreatment be that simple? That they thought he was ugly or something?

Naruto shook his head at that thought. While he had nothing else to explain the villagers' actions, he found it hard to believe that someone's looks could really be _that_ important.

Feeling his old companions, resentment and anger welling up, Naruto quickly went about putting his groceries away and headed back out into the village, determined to enjoy his new-found freedom.

Of course, once he got more than a block away, Naruto realized he had no idea what to do. He'd never spent much time in the village, even _before_ he started living on his own.

Plus, he had no idea how long his Henge would last either.

Heading off in a more or less random direction, Naruto tried to think of something to do.

A park wasn't an option. Naruto had never had any fond memories of any park when he went there by himself. And any good memories of the times he spent at parks with the Sanadas and the Old Man were now jaded and twisted by his own paranoia.

So, where else could he go to spend his time? Naruto sighed as he came to a stop outside a large building. Looking around, he saw several people entering and leaving the building to his right.

Glancing up at the sign, Naruto was surprised to learn it was a library. While Naruto had never been to one himself, he had heard about them from Yoshino.

To be completely honest, he had never believed her when she spoke about them. To someone like him, whose only constant companions were the books he read, a place full of free, varied works of literature sounded too good to be true. Yet there he was, standing inside the door, vaguely wondering when he had walked up the stairs and gone in.

When no one yelled at him or told him to leave, Naruto slowly made his way through the library.

He eventually came to a stop in front of a section that held several young children sitting on scattered beanbag chairs and reading storybooks.

Sending a furtive glance around once more, Naruto slowly approached a shelf and pulled a book out.

Delving into the book -which told some nonsensical tale of a blond hero slaying a great demon- Naruto quickly lost all track of time and his surroundings.

It was somewhere around five hours later when Naruto was finally distracted from his new book -this one about some man who could seemingly grow trees with a wave of his hands- by his stomach growling.

Looking around dazedly, Naruto was surprised to find himself at least ten feet further down the bookcase than he started.

Blinking, Naruto panicked when he saw the clock that now said five o'clock. Naruto calmed down when he glanced down at himself and saw that he was still in his ten-year-old Henge.

Gazing longingly at the still untouched books, Naruto made his way out of the library, mentally taking note of its general location.

As he headed back to his apartment, Naruto was struck by a sudden whim. Why not eat out?

He hadn't really explored that aspect of his new freedom, and he was more than a little tired of instant meals and sandwiches.

The instant meals might be varied, but to Naruto, they tasted bland and somewhat stale. He longed for an actual, cooked meal.

'_Besides,' _Naruto thought with a smug grin,_ 'it's not like anyone's gonna know.'_

Humming to himself, Naruto began searching for a restaurant.

As the sun slowly began its descent, Naruto saw more and more families on the street, effectively ruining his good mood.

Every time Naruto saw a happy family, he thought about _those two_, and the time they'd spent together. This brought about a storm of emotions in him. Rage, hate, despair, loneliness, sadness, doubt…envy.

Struggling to keep his emotions in check, Naruto reminded himself that he didn't need anyone, that he was happy on his own. He even almost believed it.

He was brought out of his musings when he smelled something. Something that he had never smelled before, that wafted heavily on the air.

And it.

Smelled.

Delicious.

Quickly following his nose, Naruto found himself standing in front of a rather simple stand. It was small, only capable of holding four or so customers at a time. The sign at the top simply read, Ichiraku's.

Breathing deeply, Naruto basked in the heavenly scent that seemed to billow from the stand.

Naruto wasn't sure how long he stood there just inhaling before he was abruptly torn away from his enjoyment by a gruff voice.

"Hey kid! Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to sit down and order?" the cook operating the stand asked.

"Wha-what is this place?" Naruto dazedly asked. "Is-is this place heaven?"

The cook let out a bellowing laugh, "Not at all! Though if you like the smell that much, then you're going to love the taste! Come on in and have a seat. The first bowl is on the house."

Without realizing it, Naruto found himself sitting on one of the stools, leaning forward to try to get a better whiff of that delicious scent. "What do you make here? Some kind of soup?" he asked distractedly.

"What do we make?" the old cook asked in surprise. "Why, ramen of course!"

"Ramen?" Naruto sounded out the word. It certainly didn't sound like much, though Naruto didn't doubt for a moment that it tasted good. Nothing that smelled so delicious could possibly taste anything but great.

"Yep, this is Ichiraku's Ramen. I'm Teuchi Ichiraku, but you can call me Teuchi. I own this stand." Teuchi said as he went about preparing Naruto's meal.

Naruto was content to watch Teuchi as he cooked this "ramen". _'I wonder if this will taste even better than milk? Or even ice cream? Oooo it smells so good.'_ He thought to himself as he drooled slightly.

"Well, here you go." Teuchi said as he placed a steaming bowl in front of Naruto. "Enjoy."

Naruto slowly reached for his chopsticks and broke them. He licked his lips slightly as he pulled the bowl a little closer to himself. Barely paying any attention to Teuchi, who was watching with an expectant smile on his face, Naruto took a bite of his ramen.

Words could not begin to describe the ecstasy Naruto felt the moment those noodles touched his tongue. Barely a second passed between Naruto's first bite and his second. The next bite came even faster. Then the next, and the next, and the next, until Naruto was tearing through his food like a starving animal.

"Whoa, Whoa! Slow down kid or you're going to hurt yourself!" Teuchi exclaimed with a trace of laughter in his voice.

His admonishment was ignored however, as Naruto quickly finished his bowl.

When he found the bowl empty, Naruto quickly pulled out his wallet and demanded, "How much for another bowl?!"

Teuchi just blinked once and then burst into laughter. "All right kid, keep your shirt on. What bowl would you like next?"

Naruto went completely still. "Yo-you mean there's more than one?" he asked in a wavering voice.

"Of course there is. There's miso, beef, chicken, pork, shrimp, vegetab-."

"I'll have one of everything!" Naruto interrupted as he pulled wads of cash from his wallet.

"Everything?" Teuchi parroted. "Don't you think that's a little much for just you?"

Naruto sent the man a slight glare. "I'll tell you when I've had enough." he growled.

The man just chuckled as a young girl in her early teens wearing a bandanna holding her hair back from her face entered from the back of the stand.

"Ah, Ayame I'm glad you're here. It seems we might have a new number one customer here." Teuchi proclaimed in a loud voice before pausing. "Say, what did you say your name was again kid?"

"Less talking, more ramen." Naruto growled impatiently.

The girl, - Ayame - frowned slightly as she put on an apron. "He seems to need a lesson in manners." she stated in a disapproving voice.

"He was polite enough before Ayame." Teuchi stated as he stepped back to the stove. "It was when he had his first bowl that he got a little wild. I think he finished the whole bowl in thirty seconds. And then he ordered one of everything."

Ayame blinked in surprise. "Everything? Don't you think that's too much little boy?"

"I'm not a little boy." Naruto stated distractedly as the smell of fresh ramen began wafting through the stand once again. _'Such a perfect smell. This ramen thing must be new. There's no way it could have been around without me noticing.'_

"So what is it?" Ayame interrupted his musings.

"What's what?" Naruto asked grumpily.

"What's your name?" She clarified.

"Naruto." he answered as the Teuchi place another bowl in front of him.

"Oh, well, that's a nice name." Ayame giggled for a moment before Naruto started eating. Then the giggles promptly turned to a gasp. "He-hey! Slow down! I knew you didn't have manners but this is too much!" She exclaimed as Naruto quickly finished off his second bowl.

Slurping what little remained of the soup; Naruto impatiently asked, "Where are the others? Hurry it up already!"

"See, what did I tell you? He's definitely going to be our new best customer." Teuchi said over his shoulder as he finished preparing yet another bowl.

Before Naruto could claim this one, Ayame pulled the bowl of ambrosia away from him. Something that he objected to quite strenuously. "Hey! That's mine! Go get your own you fat cow!" While not really true, as Ayame wasn't even remotely close to overweight, Naruto knew that for whatever reason, calling a girl fat was guaranteed to make them mad. Like now.

"What did you call me?! No customer of ours is going to get away with calling me that! No ramen for you. Ever!" Ayame growled angrily.

"Wha-what? You can't do that!" Naruto shouted in dismay.

"Oh, but I can." Ayame said with smug grin.

"N-no! Please don't! I'm sorry, I won't call you fat ever again!" Naruto gasped in panic.

"Weeellll, I suppose I _could_ let it go _this_ time." Ayame drawled with a sly grin. "Buuut…you'll have to make me a promise."

"Anything, anything!" Naruto quickly swore. Sure, he'd probably feel humiliated about this later, but the ramen was on the line!

"Hmmm, alright then." Ayame chirped. "You have to promise to always mind your manners whenever you're around me, or in the stand. OK?"

"Yeah fine, I promise, now gimme!" Naruto declared as he reached for his beloved ramen. Yes, even though they had just met, Naruto knew that he couldn't live without the ramen. It was almost like a drug.

"What do we say?" Ayame asked teasingly as she pulled the ramen further away from him.

Naruto scowled. This was humiliating! The only good thing about this was that at least he was still in his Henge and there wasn't anyone else around to see this.

"Please…" he muttered.

"That's better." Ayame said cheerfully as she place the bowl in front of him once again, pausing to pat him on the head.

Grabbing his bowl of heavenly goodness, Naruto paused when he saw Ayame watching him expectantly. Sullenly, he exercised a great force of will and ate his ramen, rather than devouring it like a rabid wolf.

"Much better my little Fishcake." Ayame giggled slightly.

Naruto paused and looked up in confusion. "Fishcake?" he asked in between bites.

Ayame nodded. "It's what your name means, Fishcake."

Naruto's eye twitched. "That's not what my name means."

"Oh really?" Ayame asked as she replaced his now empty bowl with a full one.

"Really. It means Maelstrom. I looked it up." Naruto growled when she looked like she was about to argue.

"I don't know…you look more like a Fishcake to me." Ayame said in a fake, sage like tone.

Naruto chose to be the grown up of the two, and promptly ignored the teenage girl.

Twenty minutes and several bowls of ramen later, Naruto was finally forced to leave the stand when he ran out of money. It certainly had nothing to do with that "I ate so much I'm about to explode" feeling. Not at all. _'Although…it would probably taste just as good coming up as it did going down.'_ Naruto thought with a content smile. Yes, he would definitely have to come back to this place again.

Walking through the streets towards his apartment, Naruto marveled at how relaxed he was feeling. Every other time he had been outside in the last two years, he'd been tense and jumpy, trying to watch everywhere at once.

So when did he loose that caution? Naruto frowned in thought. _'Was it at the ramen stand? No, it happened before that. But it certainly wasn't when I was shopping either. That just leaves the library.' _

Naruto came out of his thoughts as he entered his apartment building, dispelling his Henge as he did. And in that moment, all of his fear and paranoia came rushing back. He thought back to the sight of the floor his apartment was on.

No doubt about it. The lights in his apartment were on.

When he had left earlier, he had turned his lights off. Which meant that someone was in his apartment. Possibly waiting for him.

Nervously biting his lip, Naruto thought about what he might find as he headed up the stairs. _'It might be the Old Man, or Yoshino…hell, it might even be one of those "babysitters".' _

But then, why would they still be there at almost eight o'clock? The "babysitters" were only required to cook for him, not wait around afterwards. The Old Man didn't visit as often as he used to, and the few times he had shown up when Naruto was out, the Old Man had simply tracked him down. That just left Yoshino or someone else, and Yoshino was supposed to come by the next day.

Arriving outside his door, Naruto slowly opened the door, prepared to bolt back down the hall if necessary. Adrenaline pumping, Naruto scanned the living room, letting out a sigh when he saw Yoshino sitting on his couch, sipping a cup of tea.

"Naruto-kun!" Yoshino rose quickly and crossed the room towards him. "Where have you been? I was worried about you."

Naruto tried to calm his nerves and answer her, but apparently adrenaline and an unhealthy dose of fear, mixed with a stomach overstuffed with ramen, didn't end well.

Slapping a hand over his mouth, Naruto dashed past Yoshino heading for his bathroom. He almost made it too. "Blegh!" Naruto started hurling right outside his bathroom. Struggling through the door, Naruto took a deep breath and puked again.

Stumbling, Naruto made it to the toilet just in time to cough up a single, half-digested noodle.

"Urr, I was wrong…it doesn't taste as good." Naruto moaned as he tried not to gag on the taste and smell of his own vomit.

A moment later, he felt a hand gently stroking his hair.

"Are you all right, Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked as she offered him a glass of water.

Naruto gratefully accepted, taking slow sips trying to get rid of the taste of bile.

"I'm fine." He muttered as he looked around his bathroom at the mess he had made.

"Don't worry, I'll help you clean this up." Yoshino offered.

Nodding in relief, Naruto led the way to his cleaning supplies.

After cleaning everything up, they sat down on the couch, Naruto bracing himself for the questions he was sure were coming.

"Naruto-kun, where have you been all day? I was worried about you." Yoshino asked quietly.

Naruto felt bad about that. His relationship with Yoshino was a little complicated. At first he had assumed that she was working for the Old Man as a spy or assassin. However, after seeing her scold the Old Man on several occasions, yet never raising her voice to him, he had slowly developed some doubts. After the first eight months or so, Naruto had to actively try to be suspicious of her.

Objectively, he knew that she was only there because she and the Old Man felt that Naruto wasn't finished "healing" from his ordeal with the Sanadas. On the other hand, she was probably the closest thing he had to a friend, though often times she acted like how Naruto assumed a mother would.

Though he would never admit it, Naruto looked forward to her visits, both for the books, puzzles, and games she often brought with her, and for the company she provided.

As a result, he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about keeping things from her and worrying her.

But that didn't mean he was going to tell her about his training.

"I just went out is all." he answered her.

"Naruto-kun," Yoshino sighed. "You were gone all day and no one knew where you were. I was getting ready to turn my clan out to look for you."

Naruto felt another pang of guilt at that. _'Well, I can tell her where I actually went I suppose.'_

"I just went grocery shopping, and then I stopped at the library. I guess I kinda lost track of the time while I was there." Naruto left out any mention of using the Henge all day.

"You spent nine hours in the library?" Yoshino asked in surprise. Of course, if Naruto had known that the Anbu had been frantically looking for him since he left his apartment, then it might have changed his way of thinking.

Instead, he corrected his statement. "Well actually, I was only there for like five hours. But then I decided to go eat, and I found an amazing place that served the best food ever! It's even better than ice cream!" Naruto began waving his arms around in excitement.

"Really? And what food did they serve Naruto?" Yoshino asked with a small smile.

"Ramen." Naruto drawled slowly, trying to savor the word as much as possible.

"Ramen?" Yoshino asked in surprise.

"Yeah. It's the most heavenly and delicious food ever made! It's made by this old guy named Teuchi, and his brat of a daughter Ayame." Naruto explained with a blissful expression on his face that briefly turned to a scowl at the mention of Ayame.

Muttering some curses at the girl, Naruto missed the slight smirk on Yoshino's face as she asked, "So why don't you like Ayame, Naruto?"

"She's a brat! She took away my ramen, and she used it to humiliate me! And she made fun of my name, and she kept calling me a little boy! Stupid girl!" Naruto growled in anger and no small amount of humiliation.

Yoshino's smirk grew even wider. "So…" Yoshino drawled teasingly. "Does that mean that Naruto-kun has a crush?"

Naruto stared at her in abject horror. "What? No! No way, not a chance! Why would I like a brat like her?! Acting all high and mighty just because she's older than me!"

Yoshino just giggled. "I'm just teasing, Naruto-kun." After a few seconds, she grew serious again. "But Naruto-kun, you really shouldn't leave for so long by yourself without telling someone. What if you got hurt? Nobody would know."

Naruto just scowled and crossed his arms. "I'll be fine. I've been taking care of myself for the last two years, you know."

"I know Naruto-kun." Yoshino sighed. "I just worry about you, that's all."

Naruto felt yet another pang of guilt. "I'll be careful, I promise."

Yoshino smiled gently at that. "Thank you. Well, I'd better get back home before my family starts looking for me." As she headed for the door, she paused and looked back at him. "Naruto-kun, would it be alright if I bring my son with me when I visit tomorrow?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. He knew she had a son, but that was about it. Still feeling slightly guilty for making her worry, Naruto agreed and bid her goodnight.

* * *

Yoshino sighed tiredly as she left Naruto's apartment building. She hadn't really wanted to wait in Naruto's apartment when it was reported that he was missing. She would have much rather been out looking for him instead.

'_Honestly, how does a six year old boy walk out of a building under Anbu observation without being seen?' _Yoshino wondered. The Anbu on duty had reported that Naruto had left the building, as the seals had indicated, but no one saw Naruto actually walk out the door at the time he was supposed to.

According to the preliminary report, no Henge or any other Genjutsu had been detected at the time. The Anbu had searched for ten minutes before reporting the situation to the Hokage.

The Hokage had then asked Yoshino to wait in Naruto's apartment in case he returned on his own. She had barely been able to keep herself in the apartment, so worried she had been about the young Uzumaki. She had only known the child for two years, during which time she had done her best to help him. Yet he had quickly grown on her. While he never said anything, she could tell that he looked forward to her visits.

Her only regret was that she still seemed unable to completely heal the child's scars. He had improved, but only when alone with her. Any time he interacted with someone else he seemed to relapse back into that terrified and paranoid four year old, albeit a more controlled version. The Hokage's presence especially had driven the boy to a near frenzy, just under the surface.

Yoshino could still remember the look on the Sandaime's face when she had to ask him to stop visiting Naruto. He had never looked so old.

Now that Naruto had returned, Yoshino was on her way to meet the Hokage about this latest incident.

Sighing, Yoshino entered the Hokage tower and heading up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Knocking, she waited for Hokage to call for her before heading in and closing the door behind her.

She found the Sandaime and a silver-haired, Inu masked Anbu waiting for her.

The Sandaime was watching Naruto through his crystal ball as the boy went about getting ready for bed. The Hokage sighed as Naruto began crawling under his bed for the night.

"So he's still doing that." the Sandaime stated more than asked.

"I'm afraid so, Hokage-sama." Yoshino sighed as she took a seat. No one mentioned how hard it was to get someone to stop doing something that you couldn't reveal you knew they were doing without explaining that they were being spied on.

"I noticed he didn't reveal anything pertaining to how he managed to escape the notice of the Anbu. Did you notice anything that could explain, Yoshino?" The Sandaime asked as he released the technique around the crystal ball.

"No, Hokage-sama. I wasn't able to get him to tell me, though he did mention where he spent the day." Yoshino reported. "Apparently, he's discovered the library, and the "joys" of ramen."

"How sure are you that he told the truth?" Inu asked.

"Considering that he threw up a couple bowls worth of ramen, I'd say it's safe to assume that he was telling the truth." Yoshino answered with a trace of laughter in her voice.

"Yet you couldn't get him to tell you how he disappeared? Isn't the whole point of your job to get people to tell all their secrets?" Inu asked in a monotone voice.

Yoshino scowled at the Anbu. "My job is not to spy for the Anbu. And even if I was, I'd like to see you try to get someone to tell you how they evaded the "elite" of the village, when he's not supposed to know he's being watched." Yoshino retorted.

"Enough Inu," the Sandaime ordered. "I'm more interested in how the men assigned to this mission lost a six year old the moment he stepped out of his building, how the Anbu were unable to find said child after he returned to his apartment and left again, and how they couldn't find him after eight hours of searching."

"Of course Hokage-sama." Inu stood straight for a moment before slouching and stating, "We have no idea."

"No…idea?" The Sandaime repeated incredulously.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. We didn't even know he was missing until the men waiting outside radioed in to the observation room asking when Uzumaki was going to leave. The observers had assumed that the men outside had left when Uzumaki's chakra signature left the building. The men outside fanned out to find him, but the boy somehow reentered the building unnoticed. The men outside were reprimanded and sent back to their posts. When the boy left again an hour later, the same thing happened. Only this time, as you know, the boy was missing for a much longer period of time." Inu reported.

"We still haven't been able to find any explanation, and we likely won't unless we directly observe Uzumaki." The silver-haired shinobi offered.

"No, Naruto-kun's senses are still as perceptive as they were when he moved into that apartment. The last thing I want is what little progress Yoshino has made to be destroyed. Besides, what could Naruto have done that would have fooled the Anbu?" The Hokage sighed as he stuffed his pipe with tobacco. "In truth, I'm more worried about who else might have been involved in Naruto-kun's disappearance." The Sandaime confessed as he lit his pipe.

Yoshino felt a chill sweep through her at that. "Do you think someone might be going after him again?" she asked worriedly.

"I don't know." the Hokage murmured. "But we have several unanswered questions about this-."

The Sandaime was interrupted as the door to his office opened without warning and an old man limped into the room. "Why am I not surprised?" The newcomer asked as he limped his way to stand in front of the desk.

"I know you're going senile Danzo, but you still need to knock on closed doors before entering." the Sandaime stated in dismissive tone.

"Joke all you want Sarutobi, but one of the most dangerous people in the village just went missing for nearly half a day. If the boy hadn't returned, or perhaps, _been_ _returned_ to his apartment, your Anbu would no doubt still be scouring the village." Danzo growled. "Bad enough that you were foolish enough to hand the boy over to those Sanada fools, but then you left the boy all but unsupervised with the exception of the Nara woman - which was foolish in itself - and then you _still_ managed to lose him. Who knows who may have taken him, or what may have been done to him while he was gone."

"The boy isn't a sleeper agent Danzo, and I'm well aware of my mistakes." The Sandaime stated calmly.

"Then learn from your mistakes and give the boy to me. At the very least, start training him again before he grows too angry to serve Kono-." Danzo began only to be interrupted himself.

"I don't recall asking for your advice on this Danzo. I also don't recall inviting you into this office, or informing you of the situation itself. I do however, recall ordering Saru and Tora to see you home." The Hokage said in the same calm, slightly chiding voice.

A moment later, said Anbu appeared behind Danzo in a flash of movement.

"Right this way, Danzo-san." Saru stated in the monotone of all Anbu.

Danzo glanced at the Anbu behind him before turning to the Hokage. "This isn't over Sarutobi." with that, the old man turned and left the room, his Anbu "escorts" following close behind.

"I'm sorry about that Yoshino-sensei." The Sandaime apologized. "If you don't have anything else to report, then you can go home."

Yoshino paused for a moment before telling him her plans for the next day.

The Hokage considered it for a minute before assenting. "Very well, but I'll have to be there to attune young Shikamaru to the seals. And I have an offer to give Naruto as well."

Yoshino paused at that. "If I may ask, what offer, Hokage-sama."

"Well, Naruto is old enough to start attending the ninja academy." the elderly Hokage stated.

Yoshino blinked at that. Naruto had been practicing some ninja skills for the last couple of years, not counting what the Sanadas had taught him. So in retrospect, it seemed obvious that Naruto desired a ninja career. But she couldn't help but wonder if she should allow it, even as she bowed and left for her home. As far as she knew, Naruto still wasn't interacting well with children his age. Maybe if tomorrow went well, then she could put her mind at ease.

* * *

When Naruto woke up the next morning, he found himself faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, he had a great desire for ramen. On the other, he didn't know how to make the food of the gods. And the only one he knew who could make it, was too far away for him to run off and get some and still be back in time to meet Yoshino and her son.

Groaning in dismay, Naruto dragged himself out from under his bed, checking his surroundings as he did.

As he went about his usual morning routine of checking for assassins and traps, followed by washing and eating breakfast, Naruto thought about his impending visitors. He didn't know much about Yoshino's kid, and what little he did know came from the odd comment here and there.

From what Naruto could gather, the kid's name was Shiki something or other. He was a couple of years younger than himself, and he was lazy. That was about it.

"Why did I agree to this again?" Naruto sighed. Oh, right, because he felt guilty for making Yoshino worry. Which was annoying in itself since Yoshino was a doctor or like one anyway, and it was her job to worry about him.

Yet here he was, making a pot of tea and setting out a plate of snacks for his guests.

Just as he finished setting out the tea, a knocking came from his door.

Opening the door, Naruto instantly went tense at seeing who was standing outside.

Yoshino was smiling carrying her bag on one shoulder and a small boy on the other who appeared to be…snoring? The other person standing there was the reason for his tenseness.

"Hello, Naruto-kun, it's been a long time." the Old Man greeted.

"Old Man." Naruto said slowly, smiling so large he had to close his eyes and careful to keep the contempt out of his voice. "What brings someone like you to my meager doorstep."

Who says Naruto can't be diplomatic?

"Ah, well, I have some documents that you need to sign, and I thought we could catch up." If the Old Man could detect Naruto's hostility, he hid it well.

"Of course, but I'm afraid I've made previous arrangements with Yoshino and her son, so if you'll just leave the papers, I'll have Yoshino deliver them to you later." Naruto responded.

The Old Man's smile slipped just a little, and if Naruto had been watching, he would have seen the sad look in his eyes. "I understand, but there's no need to impose on Yoshino-sensei. These documents will just take a minute.

'_Damn you, you old bastard.' _"Of course, please come in, Yoshino, Old Man." Naruto said politely, beckoning them in as he did so.

Keeping an eye on the Old Man as they both sat down at the kitchen table, Naruto was only dimly aware of Yoshino laying the snoring child down on his couch before taking a seat next to him at the table.

"It's been awhile since I sat at this table. We should have dinner again sometime." The Old Man began as he set the manila folder on the tabletop.

"So what did you need me to sign?" Naruto responded.

'_So I'm all out of diplomacy. Oh well.' _Naruto thought to himself.

Sighing slightly, the Old Man opened the folder and extracted two sheets. "This one is to authorize an increase in your allowance," he said as he slid the paper halfway across the table for Naruto to claim. Once Naruto had read over, signed, and slid it back, the Old Man slid him another one. "And this one is your enrollment into the Ninja Academy. This year's term starts next mo-."

"Not interested." Naruto interrupted as he slid the form back across to the Old Man.

Naruto watched as both the Old Man and Yoshino stared at him in shock and surprise respectively.

"Wh-what?!"

* * *

**Translations**

Saru=Monkey

Tora=Tiger

Inu=Dog

Henge=Transformation

* * *

Well, there you have it. If anyone feels that Naruto acted...unusual...around the ramen scene, please remember his enhanced senses. When I wrote "it was like a drug" I meant it. As always, any reviews, suggestions, criticisms, etc are welcome. Though apparently I need to say, If you don't want a reply to your review, then you probably shouldn't review. If someone leaves an unsigned review then I'm going to have to respond at the beggining of chapters. Thanks for reading.

Peace, Vaan.


	10. Chapter 10

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Sarutobi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Naruto had always spoken of his dream to be a great shinobi. It used to be impossible to mention anything even remotely shinobi related without the child exploding into excitement.

Not to mention that the boy was the son of one of the greatest shinobi ever produced by Konoha and a Jinchuuriki to boot.

"Wh-what?!" Sarutobi managed to choke out.

"I'm. Not. Interested." Naruto punctuated each word.

How could this happen? What could change the boy he thought of as a grandson so much? But then, he already knew the answer to that.

The mistreatment at the orphanage; the threats insults and cold indifference he received on the streets; the torture he received in the Hitode incident; the betrayal during the Sanada incident that Naruto never really got over, despite his claims to the contrary; Nezumi's assassination attempt, and Sarutobi's decision to cover it up. All of these things added up for the six-year-old in front of him.

So really, why should the boy want to fight, kill, and possibly die for the village responsible for all of his suffering?

Sarutobi knew all of this, but it didn't make the sense of shock, the disappointment -in himself- or the slight trace of fear any less present. Nor did the knowledge make Naruto's refusal any easier to stomach.

"I understand." Sarutobi sighed tiredly, suddenly feeling very old indeed.

After a moment of silence, Sarutobi collected the sheets and placed them back in the folder, standing to his feet as he did so. "Perhaps next year then," he said without much hope.

"Maybe," Naruto responded flatly.

Somewhat heartened by the fact that Naruto didn't flat out refuse, Sarutobi turned to go. Remembering something, he paused just outside the kitchen. Turning back, he said, "I almost forgot, my daughter is pregnant. She'll be having the baby in a few months."

He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't for Naruto to blink owlishly before hesitantly stating, "Congratulations?" as if unsure how he was supposed to respond.

Smiling slightly, Sarutobi left the apartment.

* * *

Naruto watched silently as the Old Man left, while in a distant part of his mind a small voice wondered, "How does the baby get inside the mom anyway?"

Shaking himself to get rid of his tension, Naruto turned to Yoshino and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

Yoshino smiled and stood, heading for the living room. "Just let me wake up Shikamaru, and we'll both have a cup," she said with a smile.

Naruto grimaced at that. He had almost forgotten that the little brat was there, probably drooling on his couch.

He watched as Yoshino bent down to, presumably, shake the boy awake. A moment later, she returned with the small boy walking this time, allowing Naruto to get a look at him. The boy had black hair, unlike his mother, though he did have the same dark eyes. His hair was gathered in a ponytail that made his head look like a pineapple, and he had a bored, sleepy look in his eyes.

"Kaa-san… why do I have to meet this crazy guy?" Shikamaru drawled.

'_Crazy?' _Naruto thought with a twitch.

Before Yoshino could say anything, Naruto retorted with, "What's the matter kid? Are we interrupting your nap time?"

Shikamaru turned bored eyes onto Naruto. "As a matter of fact, yes, you are."

Naruto blinked at that. _'Well, that was unexpected.'_

"I told you, Shikamaru, he's not crazy. And you have to meet him because you don't have any friends and I thought you two could play together for the day," Yoshino stated in a slightly angry voice. "And what have I told you about judging people?" she punctuated this question with a slight tap to her son's head.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he rubbed at his head.

Naruto watched the scene with no small amount of amusement. _'Serves that punk right for calling me crazy like I wasn't standing right in front of him.'_ He mentally chuckled.

"Now Shikamaru, why don't you two play a game of Shogi?" Yoshino suggested cheerfully.

"Why do I have to play with him?" Naruto/Shikamaru asked/drawled.

"Well, aren't you tired of just playing with me, Naruto? And Shikamaru, aren't you always complaining that there's no one your age that plays Shogi?" she explained.

"I'm not his age, Yoshino. Besides, I'd rather play against someone who can count higher than ten," Naruto rebutted.

"Troublesome. You're only two years older than me Uzumaki-san. And as for the counting comment, isn't that a little childish?" Shikamaru drawled tiredly. "Kaa-san, he's probably not any good at Shogi anyway. Can we just go back home?"

Naruto felt his eye twitch even more at that. "Hey! Stop talking like I'm not here, you thumb sucking toddler!"

"Whatever…" Shikamaru yawned.

Growling, Naruto grabbed the little baby by the arm and dragged him into the living room. "You think you're so smart huh? Well let's see how cocky you are after I beat you!" he declared as he set up the Shogi board on the floor. Sitting on the floor, Naruto graciously offered to let Shikamaru go first. "Not that it'll make any difference."

Shikamaru didn't respond, simply moving one of his pieces.

Moving one of his own Naruto asked with a grin, "Can you see the board okay, or do you need a booster seat?"

Shikamaru just sighed, "You know, you're kind of immature for someone who's supposed to be so much older than me."

Neither boy paid much attention to Yoshino as she watched over their game from the couch, notebook and pen in hand.

Five minutes later, Shikamaru laid a piece down and declared, "Checkmate."

Naruto just stared at the board for a moment, and then snarled, "You cheated!"

Shikamaru snorted, "I didn't have to cheat, you left all of your defenses wide open. I'm going to get some tea. If you reset the board, we can play again."

"You're damn right we're gonna play again! And this time, I won't go so easy on you!"

Ten minutes later, Shikamaru placed a piece on the board and drawled, "Checkmate."

Eye twitching, Naruto growled, "Again."

Twelve minutes later, Naruto all but slammed a piece down and declared, "Check!"

Shikamaru didn't even bother looking at the board as he moved a piece and retorted, "Checkmate."

"Rematch." Naruto ground out.

And so it continued for the rest of the day, with the two boys slowly exchanging words in greater frequency as the games went on.

As the sun began to set, the two were staring fiercely at the board…well Naruto was. Shikamaru's stare was one of muted excitement.

After a few more minutes, Naruto moved a piece slowly across the board, pausing when it reached it's destination.

After another minute, Shikamaru asked absently, "Is that your move?"

"Is my hand still on the piece?" Naruto replied just as absently.

Finally, after another minute, Naruto removed his hand and left the piece where it lay.

Shikamaru nodded as he looked over the board, murmuring, "Nice move."

A second later, Shikamaru added, "But not enough." Moving one of his own pieces he stated, "Checkmate."

Before Naruto could ask for another rematch, Yoshino walked over to them.

"Sorry boys, but it's time for Shikamaru-chan and me to go home," she said as she picked up the empty teacups from beside the boys.

"Already?" Shikamaru drawled in annoyance.

"Yes, you still need to eat supper, take a bath, and then get ready for bed Shikamaru-chan," Yoshino explained as she reentered the room.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he rose from the floor and followed his mother to the door.

Naruto sighed and followed them. While he had been able to make the games last longer, he hadn't won a single match against the younger boy. Still, he had quite a bit of fun, despite his irritation.

After Naruto exchanged goodbyes with Yoshino, Shikamaru said, "We should play again sometime, Uzumaki-san. You're an alright player."

Naruto stared at the boy for a minute. He wasn't really sure what to make of the younger boy. He was obviously a lot smarter than he looked, or maybe just insanely good at Shogi.

After a moment of consideration, Naruto nodded and said, "Sure, and you can call me Naruto."

Shikamaru nodded and followed his mother out the door.

Finding himself alone again, Naruto decided to make something to eat before the latest in a long line of "babysitters" arrived.

* * *

Walking down the stairs in silence, Yoshino thought about how the day had gone. It had taken close to an hour before the two boys really started talking, but once they had "broken the ice" so to speak, they had had a number of conversations.

Smiling down at her son as they crossed the street, she squeezed his hand, thinking of how alike the two boys were.

Both were far too mature for their ages, though for different reasons. Naruto due to the tragedies in his life, and Shikamaru due to his increased intelligence.

Neither of them had any friends either. Though in Naruto's case, that was due to lack of a desire for friends. Shikamaru on the other hand, found children his own age to be, for the lack of a better word, "too stupid."

"Kaa-san, is this alright?" Shikamaru asked, breaking her out of her train of thought.

"What do you mean, Shikamaru-chan?" she asked curiously.

"You using me as a tool in one of your patient's therapy?" he clarified.

Yoshino stared at him in surprise. "I'm not using you Shikamaru-chan. Both you and Naruto-kun have trouble making friends, so I decided to help you two along. That's a mother's job too, you know."

Shikamaru remained silent for a moment before asking in a quiet voice, "What happened to him?"

She sighed sadly and said, "You know I can't tell you that. But, suffice to say, life has not been kind to Naruto-kun."

They walked on in silence for another minute or two before Shikamaru spoke again. "I like him. We should visit him more often."

Yoshino smiled at that. "Really? I thought you said he was troublesome?"

Shikamaru just shrugged. "He is, and he's not very mature for someone who insists on pointing out younger kid's ages. But he's kind of interesting, and he's not that bad a Shogi player."

Yoshino's smile grew as she let go of Shikamaru's hand to wrap her arm around his shoulder and pulled him close to her. "I'm proud of you, Shikamaru-chan."

"Troublesome…" he drawled as he leaned his head against her side and yawned.

* * *

Naruto sighed as that night's "babysitter" finally left his apartment. Really, you'd think the Old Man would take the hint and stop sending them after all this time.

Yawning, Naruto sat on his couch and stared at the unfinished book he had been reading. Letting his mind wander, Naruto thought about what he would do now that he had finally mastered the Henge.

Sure he could now travel the village as he desired. But other than to visit the library and Ichiraku's, he didn't really desire to leave his apartment.

So what could he do in the apartment to advance his training? All that he had left among the scrolls he had taken from the Sanadas could be divided into two groups.

One group was made up of various theories on chakra, though there weren't any real exercises, just some vague mentions of some Suna string technique.

Naruto had taken these theories and tried to recreate the "strings" with little success. No surprise really, seeing as how the only chakra control exercise he had to work with was the leaf floating exercise.

He had attempted to use the leaf floating idea to try to find a way to hold something with just his chakra. The idea being that once he could get something to stick, he could try to increase the distance until he could grab something from several feet away.

Unfortunately, while he could get things to stick, he hadn't had any luck in increasing the distance. He had to have actual physical contact in order to make it work.

It wasn't a complete loss however, as his attempts had both increased his chakra control and taught him a new trick. It had happened when he was pacing around his apartment - still trying to extend the distance he could hold something with his chakra - when the hand he was using brushed one of the walls.

Naruto had continued walking for a moment before he realized he couldn't move his hand. When he had seen his hand stuck to the wall, he ceased his experiment. The moment he did that, his hand came free from the wall. Curious, Naruto again placed his hand against the wall at about shoulder height, and focused his chakra on holding to the wall. After a moment, he tugged his arm to try to remove his hand. Only to find that he couldn't.

Frowning, Naruto had then tugged even harder, with no noticable difference. This intrigued Naruto, so he furthered his investigation by using his "chakra grip" as leverage and lifted his entire body off the floor. To his surprise, his chakra held him aloft. From there, he had used his other hand and "gripped" the wall a little higher up. Then he released his first hand and continued reaching up.

A few moments later, Naruto found himself hanging several feet off the floor by his hands. Swinging himself from side to side for a second, Naruto glanced from the top of the wall to the ceiling and then to his hands.

After chewing his lip for a second, Naruto moved one hand from the wall to the ceiling before following suit with the other hand. Then while hanging from the ceiling, Naruto hand walked back and forth across the room several times before climbing back down the wall.

The only downside that he noticed was that all of his weight had been supported by his shoulders. Other than that, it was a useful trick for climbing and it had helped his chakra control slightly.

The second group of scrolls were also mostly theory based, though on a different subject. Genjutsu. Naruto hadn't looked through them too deeply outside of the Bunshin jutsu for one reason; the theories in those scrolls had validated the Old Man's story, even if only in the most general of senses.

One of the things Naruto had read before abandoning those scrolls had been the purposes of Genjutsu. More specifically, the "make people see what isn't there" aspect.

That of course had been far too close to what the Old Man had told him. So he had ignored those scrolls for the past couple of years. Now though, with his training options now extremely limited, Naruto was forced to consider looking through them.

Naruto growled in anger. The simple fact of the matter was that Genjutsu opened up some very much unhealed wounds.

Another simple fact was that he didn't have any other options. He had no idea if any of the scrolls in the Sanadas' house were still there, or if they had been moved or even confiscated by the Old Man. And even if they hadn't, even if they were still sitting on those shelves in the study collecting dust, Naruto wasn't even sure he could bear returning to that house.

Running a hand through his hair, Naruto rose from his couch and headed for his bedroom. Perhaps after a night of sleep he'd be able to make a decision.

* * *

Meanwhile, halfway across the village, Sarutobi was sitting alone in his darkened office. A desk lamp his only source of light. He was gazing at a picture frame held lovingly in his hand.

The picture that held his attention was one taken nearly four years ago, depicting himself and a still innocent Naruto eating ice cream together.

Sarutobi did nothing to stop the tears that slowly dripped down his face, even as he smiled at the image of the shy, yet happy child Naruto once was. Beneath that melancholic smile, he felt a deep-seated pain in his heart, a feeling that he had felt before. First, when his beloved wife died, then when he had watched his son leave the village, and again when he had learned of Orochimaru's fall.

Now he felt the pain of losing his grandson. Ever since that cursed night in the hospital, Naruto had been lost to him. Yet despite his best efforts, Sarutobi had been unable to close the gulf that had opened between them.

Perhaps worst of all was knowing that Naruto didn't just hate him, Naruto _feared_ him. And for all his vaunted knowledge, Sarutobi just couldn't seem to fix this.

Yoshino had insisted that time was needed for Naruto to heal, to sort out his life. But even after two years of therapy and two years of peace and safety, Naruto had seemingly made little progress where Sarutobi was involved.

'_Is there anything I could have done differently?'_ Sarutobi wondered depressingly.

Of course, this wasn't the first time he'd asked himself that. The answer was yes, he could have acted differently. Knowing what he did now, of course he would have. If he could go back in time, Sarutobi would have taken Naruto in from the beginning and he would have kept Naruto's status a secret from everyone but his students.

But, that was the problem. He didn't known then what he does now. Every time he made a decision concerning Naruto, he had done what he thought best for both Naruto and Konoha.

So how did everything go so horribly wrong?

Before he could try to answer himself, he sensed a presence enter his office that he hadn't felt in six years.

"What brings you here, Jiraiya-kun?" Sarutobi asked calmly.

"Is that him?" Jiraiya asked neutrally as he stepped from the shadows.

Sarutobi smiled bitterly at the photo. "It _was_ him."

"What do you mean?" his wayward student asked in alarm.

"The boy in this photo is all but dead. Murdered by the very people that he saved all those years ago, and that he continues to protect to this day," Sarutobi said tiredly.

"I'm not in the mood for your word games, Sensei," Jiraiya ground out.

Sarutobi ignored his student's tone. "I take it you haven't come for Naruto. So, for what purpose have you come here?"

Apparently, Jiraiya picked up on the pain in his voice because he asked, "Sensei, what's wrong? What did you mean about Naruto?"

Sarutobi closed his eyes and rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "If you had met the child in this photo, then you wouldn't recognize the boy he is today." Finding the photo too painful to look at any longer, Sarutobi placed it back in the drawer he kept it in and turned to face Jiraiya. "Report."

"I haven't been able to find any trace of Orochimaru since I lost him in Tea Country," Jiraiya said with a grimace. "Although I have heard rumors about an organization that he may have, or may be considering joining."

That caught Sarutobi's attention. "What's known about this organization?" he asked.

"Not much," Jiraiya sighed. "Just rumors that Sasori of the Red Sands might be a member. I'm having my spies look into it."

"So, Orochimaru may be joining an organization that may boast another S rank missing-nin in their ranks," Sarutobi mused. "Anything else?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "Nothing that hasn't been included in my other reports."

"Very well." Sarutobi sighed as he tiredly dragged himself to his feet. When Jiraiya didn't leave, Sarutobi asked, "What is it?"

Jiraiya fidgeted slightly before trying ask nonchalantly, "So how is he?"

"That depends," Sarutobi stated bitterly. "If he were a spy or a war veteran, then he'd be just fine jumping at shadows, distrusting his few allies and awaiting the next assassination attempt. But he's not a spy or veteran is he? He's a six year old boy who has no friends, no family, and is surrounded by a sea of hostility and indifference."

Jiraiya flinched slightly. "But he'll be starting the academy soon right? Surely he'll improve around friends his own age?"

"No, Jiraiya. Naruto no longer has any interest in becoming a ninja." Sarutobi answered grimly.

"But you said that he'd been practicing some low level techniques on his own!" Jiraiya spluttered. "That he was improving his chakra control an-"

"Oh, he is doing all of that, Jiraiya." Sarutobi interrupted. "In fact it seems he's done even more than that. Just yesterday, he somehow managed to leave his apartment building _twice _without be seen or detected by the Anbu. And he somehow managed to return to the building both times without the Anbu's knowledge."

"Yet despite all of that, he refused to join the academy." Sarutobi finished with a sigh.

"But why would he-" Jiraiya attempted to ask before Sarutobi interrupted him yet again.

"You know exactly why, Jiraiya. The boy wants nothing to do with becoming a ninja of Konoha, and I can't say that I blame him. As for his training, I would think that would be obvious. He's preparing to defend himself _from_ Konoha." "_Or to strike back against it" _went unsaid.

Jiraiya stayed silent for a minute after that before asking, "What are we going to do about it?"

Sarutobi leveled a glare at his student. "_We_ will do nothing. _I _will attempt to save the boy before it's too late."

"Now wait a minute-" Jiraiya began angrily before Sarutobi interrupted yet again.

"No, Jiraiya. You've been rather insistent on having nothing to do with Naruto for the last six years. Your interference now would only exacerbate matters."

"I'm his Godfather!" Jiraiya growled in outrage.

"Since when?" Sarutobi shouted back. "You're his Godfather in name only, Jiraiya, and barely that! You don't get to run from your responsibilities for more than half a decade, and then decide to try and claim the child you abandoned!"

Sarutobi watched his student recoil as if struck. "You had your chance, Jiraiya. You turned it down. You made your choice, now you'll have to deal with it. Or do you really think you can just walk up to Naruto and claim to be his Godfather?"

Turning his back on him, Sarutobi stared out the window at the quarter moon and sighed when he felt his student vanish from his office. He imagined that he would receive several complaints about a peeping tom before the night was done. More than likely, Jiraiya would be long gone by morning as well.

Sarutobi was right on both counts.

* * *

**AN:** There you have it. I hope you enjoyed it.

I don't really hate Jiraiya, but I lose a lot of respect for him. In my culture, when a close friend asks you to be the godparent of their child, they're basically asking, "Hey, if my spouse and I die, I want you to be the one to look after, provide for, protect, and raise my child." not, "Hey, if my spouse and I die, I want you to be the one to look after, provide for, protect, and raise my child, _so long as it's convenient for you_." Now granted, there are some legitimate reasons why Jiraiya couldn't personally raise Naruto that get mentioned in many fics. That he had to run a spy network being one of the more acceptable reasons why he couldn't personally look after Naruto. The whole, it was too painful for Jiraiya to remain in Konoha/around Naruto, or that he wasn't qualified to raise a child, or that it was too dangerous for him to be linked to Naruto because people might make the connection between Naruto and Minato, are _not_ acceptable reasons. And if Jiraiya wasn't willing to do all of the things a godfather is supposed to do, then he _shouldn't _have _agreed_ to be Naruto's godfather. The guy didn't even personally see to Naruto's placement with a trusted adoptive family, nor did he ever come back to visit the kid. If Sarutobi can take the time to visit Naruto without putting the kid in danger, then _Jiraiya_ certainly could have. All Jiraiya did was drop the whole thing on Sarutobi and take off. Even in Canon, I don't think anyone ever actually told Naruto that Jiraiya was his godfather, nor do I remember _anyone_ in Konoha actually telling Naruto _anything _about his parents.

The next update will be sometime in the first week of December. As always, all reviews, criticisms, suggestions, etc are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:** Thanks to all those who reviewed**.**Special thanks to inarealpickle, simonmountney, and causeiambetta for picking up the slack for betaing. All reviews/criticism are welcomed.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

Sarutobi sighed irritably as he glared up at his Anbu over the report in his hands. The report detailed how Naruto had managed to leave his apartment unnoticed, for the seventh time in half a month. His Anbu _still_ couldn't figure out _how_ the boy kept doing so.

If it wasn't so dangerous, Sarutobi would have been proud of his little friend. Not even _he_ had been able to find out how the boy did it. All of his attempts to watch the boy through his crystal ball had only shown Naruto reading, either the scrolls from the Sanadas or books from the library and Yoshino, or Naruto and his young friend playing shogi or go.

That, at least, had been a marked improvement for Naruto.

Sarutobi knew from both Yoshino, and his own covert surveillance that Naruto and young Shikamaru had grown amazingly close for someone of Naruto's paranoia. Though to be fair, the two only ever played board games, mixed with the occasional conversation, and they had only ever met a handful of times. They had also yet to leave Naruto's apartment together, and they had never met anywhere else as far as he knew.

Which brought him back to the matter at hand. A six-year-old boy was making a mockery of the Anbu and had caused half a dozen security alerts as shinobi covertly searched the village for Naruto, only to fail repeatedly.

Several members of the Anbu -and some of the more paranoid council members- were convinced that something was going on. Whether it being some ability granted to Naruto by the Kyuubi, the Kyuubi taking over Naruto's body when he was asleep, or Naruto developing some new Genjutsu to bypass the Anbu, to some secret faction of the Anbu or the Uchiha clan even, smuggling Naruto out to perform experimentation on him. Those were some of the more reasonable theories going around, though Sarutobi wasn't supposed to be aware of them.

As amusing as some of the theories could be, Sarutobi couldn't make light of the situation. He knew exactly what was in those scrolls of Naruto's and nothing in them could have enabled the boy to evade the Anbu so easily. Plus, if Naruto was purposefully avoiding the Anbu, then that meant that he was aware they were around him and watching his building -and seeing as Sarutobi had been very careful in making sure the shinobi assigned to Naruto knew not to watch him specifically, unless they themselves were out in the open, that was even more disturbing.

If that were the case, then Naruto would have most certainly fled by now, as the boy was still far too jumpy when he felt threatened.

So how was the boy doing it?

"What about the ramen stand Yoshino told us about?" he questioned the Tora masked Anbu standing at attention in front of his desk.

"We've had the stand under surveillance since the Uzumaki's third disappearance. We haven't got a solid grasp on who the regulars are, but no one has reported seeing anyone even remotely resembling Uzumaki entering the stand." Tora reported.

Sarutobi nodded his head as pulled his pipe from his robes. Stuffing it with tobacco, he asked, "What of the stand's owners?"

Tora shook his head, "Both father and daughter were born and raised in the village. Neither has any military training, and the girl -Ayame - attends the local civilian school. The teachers at the school say she's been there for years. Anyone we ask about the stand says the same thing." Tora paused for a moment before continuing. "Shishi entered the stand personally and questioned the father -Teuchi - while disguised as a civilian. He feels that the man is genuine."

_'Teuchi?'_ he thought in surprise at the mention of Jiraiya's one time student. _'I see, so he's still in the village after all. I thought he would have left for a more peaceful place after I purged his records...' _The fate of Jiraiya's Genin team was something of a mystery to most of the world. Oh, everyone knew what became of Minato obviously, but the fates of Saotomi and Teuchi were unknown to all but Jiraiya and himself. One dead, the other unable to cope with the harsh realities of the shinobi life. Really, Sarutobi hadn't had any reason to refuse when Jiraiya asked him to remove Teuchi's records. After all, even if he had only lasted a year or so, the man was Jiraiya's student. A dangerous association for anyone.

Was Naruto's visiting Teuchi's stand of all places mere coincidence?

"I see. And the libraries? What have you found there?" Sarutobi inquired as he lit his pipe and took several puffs.

"Nothing suspicious, but it doesn't help that we don't know which library the boy supposedly uses." If it were anyone other than an Anbu, Sarutobi would say the man sounded irritated.

"I understand, inform me when he returns to his apartment building." Sarutobi ordered.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." the Anbu saluted before disappearing via Shunshin.

The situation really was becoming dangerous. It wasn't so much that Naruto had evaded the Anbu that had people unnerved. It was the fact that no one had the slightest clue _how_ he was doing it.

'_Perhaps it's time to confront Naruto about this? To just ask the boy how he did it.'_ Sarutobi bleakly wondered.

Of course, if he did that, then he'd have to explain everything to Naruto, which would be dangerous at best.

Despite that, there were those who felt that to be the best course of action, Danzo surprisingly one of them.

To Danzo, keeping the truth from the boy was a mistake. In his eyes -or eye as the case may be- Naruto was far too valuable a resource to leave untapped. And with every incident, from the orphanage to the Sanadas, to these recent disappearing acts, Danzo had been there to advocate a change of policy. As much as Sarutobi hated to admit it, Danzo had warned him about how quickly the situation could deteriorate and had been proven right.

Danzo had even given up on trying to get Naruto for himself, simply insisting that Naruto be protected and trained so that he in turn could protect Konoha. Most of all, Danzo objected to the seals placed around Naruto. What Danzo -and Sarutobi if he was honest- feared was what would happen if Naruto discovered those seals. The boy was already preparing for a possible war with Konoha - even if Naruto's preparations were still in their infancy - and if he discovered those seals or the Anbu surrounding him the situation could rapidly spin out of control, possibly even causing Naruto to strike first against the village. Though at this stage, any such strike from Naruto would be doomed to fail, it would undoubtedly result in the boy's death. Something that both Sarutobi and Danzo wanted to avoid, though for different reasons.

Which brought him back to square one. Reveal the truth now and hope for the best, or stay the course and hope for the best. Both had risks. Both could end horribly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was rereading one of his Genjutsu scrolls while eating an apple.

It had taken him over week before he finally decided to look through the Genjutsu scrolls again. In the end, there had been two reasons for him to do this. Boredom was one, which could have easily been taken care of with the use of his Henge. The problem was, the Henge was the other reason.

Despite how long it had taken Naruto to master the Henge, it was still an academy level technique. So obviously, there would be some method of detecting or neutralizing a Henge, and while it had worked well so far, to Naruto, it was only a matter of time before someone saw through it on the street. Which led him back to Genjutsu, something that could help him remain hidden, if he could figure out how to do so.

So he had forced all of his anger and pain to the back and dived into the scrolls. The results were surprising, to say the least.

Whether it was naturally an easy subject or just a well-written group of scrolls, Naruto had burned through those scrolls at a pace that amazed even him. Even though the scrolls were only theory based, Naruto felt that he was quickly on his way to understanding Genjutsu in theory, even if not so much in practice.

However, he had applied what he learned from the scrolls to the one Genjutsu he knew, the Bunshin jutsu, finally perfecting the technique.

Other than that, Naruto had gained one other thing. Doubts.

The more he read through those scrolls, the more he found himself doubting his disbelief in the Old Man. As he read, Naruto found the things he had refused to believe two years ago, weren't as far-fetched as he had thought. Genjutsu was indeed capable of doing the things the Old Man had said was done.

Still, despite the fact that Genjutsu could be used the way the Old Man had said, it didn't explain other things. For instance, they was still no answer as to why.

Why would some assassin make Naruto see those things? Why not just kill him? Why wait until he had been taken to the hospital and then go through the hassle of replacing an Anbu?

Beyond that, why were the Anbu watching Naruto, and why did the villagers treat him the way they did?

More importantly, why does the Old Man treat him the way he does? No other orphan warranted regular visits from the Hokage. No other orphan received the attention that the Old Man bestowed on Naruto, regardless of whether he wanted the attention or not.

No, the scrolls might chip away at Naruto's beliefs, but they also brought other, unanswered questions to the fore front.

Shaking his head, Naruto did what he did best when it came to questioning why his life had been so terrible. He ignored it.

Sure from time he pondered one part or the other, like, "why do some villagers treat me like trash", or, "why does the Hokage want to kill me", but for the most part he just did what was easiest and pretended everything was fine. In an "everyone is trying to kill me" kind of way.

Surprisingly, it wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Turning his attention back to the scrolls, Naruto considered his options.

If he wanted to make use of these scrolls, he'd have to create the Genjutsu himself. No small task. He knew what he wanted the Genjutsu to do, but getting it to happen was slightly more difficult.

What he wanted was to go unnoticed, to be hidden from those around him.

The problem was, it couldn't be just a cloaking or invisibility otherwise someone might try to walk through him in the street. No, he needed to be seen, yet avoided.

Naruto frowned, _'So something that affects the eyes and the brain…' _He'd want the Genjutsu to allow people to see him, but not register that it _is_ him. But how?

What would they see when they looked at him? Someone else? An animal? No, then he'd still be seen.

Sighing, Naruto decided to take a break from the scrolls and head out to the library.

Applying his Henge, Naruto left the building and headed toward his favorite place outside the glorious ramen stand.

Once there, Naruto quickly dived back into the books. It would be this that would allow him to make a breakthrough with his thoughts on Genjutsu. As he slowly made his way down the shelf, he blinked in surprise when he bumped into a chair.

Looking away from the shelf, Naruto frowned down at the chair. _'I guess I was so lost in thought, I wasn't paying attention…paying attention…' _

Naruto's mind began to race with possibilities. A chair, an unimportant piece of wood, just sitting there, ignored. What if he could make himself seem that unimportant? Make it so people look at him and have their minds registered as something as unimportant as an old chair.

As he began to piece together a possible Genjutsu, he ran into another obstacle. How to test the Genjutsu?

The only way to actually test it would be to walk among the villagers, something that he really didn't want to do.

'_First things first, I have to actually make the Genjutsu. Then I can worry about testing it.'_ Naruto reminded himself as he made his way out of the library and back to his apartment.

* * *

It took several months, but eventually, Naruto was ready to test his Genjutsu.

The idea behind it was rather simple. The Genjutsu would be cast around himself, and grasp at the minds around him. He'd become… gray to the world… for lack of a better term. Just an ordinary-looking person while, in fact, being very difficult to notice, to the point of "hiding in plain sight". To anyone looking for him, he could walk around carrying a knife, and he'd be about as interesting as an old chair. In short, the eyes will perceive him but the mind will write him off as nothing important.

Perfect for avoiding attention, and as long as no Genjutsu specialist came along, he should be fine in theory.

Unfortunately, it was the "in theory" part that worried him. In order to test whether or not he could walk around with a knife…he'd have to actually walk around with one.

Dangerous to say the least, especially in a village full of trained assassins.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he a knock at his door followed by a voice.

"Oi, Naruto. I'm coming in." came the voice of a certain young Nara.

Thinking quickly, Naruto grinned and threw his Genjutsu around him. After all, it's better to start small when it comes to experiments.

Not a moment after his Genjutsu snapped into place, Shikamaru opened the door and stepped inside.

This in itself wasn't unusual, as the young Nara had taken to just popping in a couple times a week, with or without his kaa-san. They'd usually play a few games of shogi or some other game, before Yoshino showed up looking for her son. The first time this had happened, Yoshino had been like a different person. She'd proceeded to tear into the young Nara, admonishing him for going out by himself and not telling her. At first, Naruto had been surprised, and then after a few moments jealous.

Despite her apparent anger, Yoshino had clearly been relieved to find her son. This had stirred discontent in Naruto, who, not for the first time, wished that he too had a kaa-san to worry over him. But like always, he'd buried his feelings and continued with his life.

The Nara heir glanced around the apartment once, and then called out "Oi, Naruto! You here?"

Naruto's grin grew even wider. He was standing perfectly still in plain view, yet Shikamaru's eyes seemed to pass over him. Just like he was another piece of furniture.

Walking towards Shikamaru slowly before steadily increasing his speed, Naruto was pleased when the young Nara's expression didn't change, even when he passed Naruto on his way to check the rest of the apartment.

Deciding, to take things up a notch, Naruto jumped up and down a couple of times, stopping when Shikamaru spun around.

The young Nara scanned the apartment again, and then called out, "Naruto! Is that you?"

Stifling a chuckle when the Nara looked right at him, Naruto cautiously made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of pans. Then he rattled them together, before tossing them on the floor as Shikamaru came running into the room.

Shikamaru stared at the pans then gazed quickly around the room. "Troublesome… how did that happen?" Glancing around once more, he made his way back into the living room, with Naruto close behind.

'_Perfect… it seems that he can't see me at all. Or more accurately, he does see me, just not really noticing.'_Naruto thought as Shikamaru headed for the door.

Deciding to have a little fun, Naruto dropped the Genjutsu and cleared his throat.

Shikamaru jumped and whirled around to face him. "Naruto! Where did you come from!"

Through sheer will, Naruto kept his face blank other than raising an eyebrow. "Well, when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much…"

Naruto allowed himself to trail off when he saw Shikamaru's eye start twitching. "That's not what I meant and you know it. Troublesome blond idiot." Shikamaru growled angrily.

Naruto fought valiantly, he really did. But even he had his limits. So he did what he had to. He burst out laughing.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered as he closed the door. "Where were you? I was sure you weren't here."

That brought an end to Naruto's laughter. He'd been so busy having fun at the Nara's expense, that he didn't think about how he was going to answer any questions the younger boy might ask.

Luckily, thinking on his feet happened to be something Naruto was good at. "Oh, that, I was actually outside and I saw you heading here so I decided to follow you. I snuck in behind you when you were in the other room."

Shikamaru stared at him with a look of bored irritation. "And why did you feel the need to throw your pans around?"

Keeping his grin suppressed, Naruto instead put on a confused look and asked, "Pans?"

Shikamaru grunted, but didn't say anything else as he sat down in the middle of the room and pulled the shogi set that Naruto kept under his coffee table towards him.

As he began setting up the board he glanced up Naruto and drawled, "Are you going to sit down, or what?"

"Come on in, Shikamaru. You're always welcome here. Please, have a seat. How about a game of shogi?" Naruto said with a liberal amount of sarcasm.

Sarcasm that Shikamaru seemed to miss as he simply replied, "I know, now quit stalling and get over here and take your beating."

This time it was Naruto's eye that twitched. _'So the little brat thinks he can just waltz in here whenever he wants does he…I'll just have to remind him who's home this is.' _Naruto thought as he sat down opposite the Nara heir.

"Try not to cry when you lose." Naruto sneered. "After all, your mommy isn't here to help you blow your nose."

"Eh, she'll be here soon enough, the troublesome woman." Shikamaru drawled as he moved a piece.

Naruto glanced up at him before returning his attention to the board. "Do you really plan on making her come get you again? Why don't you just head back at a reasonable time?"

Shikamaru glanced at the door and suddenly looked nervous.

Naruto frowned slightly before asking, "Shikamaru…what is Yoshino doing right now?"

Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders nervously, glancing at the door again as he did so. "Looking for me."

Naruto slowly started to get alarmed. Yoshino had never done anything to hurt him before, but she could definitely be scary when she was angry. "What did you do?" Naruto asked, the game all but forgotten.

"She made me go shopping with her. I got bored so I sort of…walked off." Shikamaru muttered.

Naruto stared at him in horror. "And you came _here_!"

"I didn't have anywhere else to go." Shikamaru muttered defensively.

"Why didn't you go back to your own house?" Naruto asked loudly. Just loudly though, because he most certainly didn't shriek. Not at all.

"It would have been the first place she checked." Shikamaru replied.

Naruto opened his mouth, whether to argue or scream he didn't know, when he heard a very familiar voice shouting from the hallway. "Shikamaru Nara! You are in so much trouble mister!"

'_Screw this!' _Naruto thought as the door began to open. When the young Nara turned instinctively to look at the door, Naruto threw his Genjutsu around himself.

He definitely wasn't trying to hide from Yoshino, of course not. He just wanted to test his Genjutsu against an adult, that's all. He wasn't afraid in the slightest.

"I can't believe you! Not only did you run off on your own, but you broke into Naruto-kun's home as well!" Yoshino scolded the younger Nara.

"Huh? Wha-" Shikamaru spluttered as he turned back to see that Naruto had simply disappeared. "Oi, Naruto! Where'd you go?"

'_Sorry, Shikamaru. But I'm not getting involved in this. Yoshino is damn scary when she's mad.' _Naruto thought as he sat very, _very_ still across from the doomed Nara.

Shikamaru looked around wildly before Yoshino grabbed his ear and twisted. "Owowow! Let go, you troublesome woman!"

"What did you call me? I can't believe you'd run off in the middle of shopping, to come break into Naruto-kun's house and play shogi by yourself!" Yoshino growled angrily.

"I didn't break in! And Naruto is here! Naruto! Get out here and get this troublesome woman off me!" Shikamaru drawled in irritation.

Unfortunately for Shikamaru, Naruto wasn't going to do any such thing.

"Nice try! Now put away Naruto-kun's shogi board! We're going shopping, and because of your little stunt, we're going to be late for dinner!" Yoshino ordered sternly.

Shikamaru attempted to convince her that Naruto was there, but seeing as how he never revealed himself, Yoshino just assumed he was lying.

A few minutes later, Naruto was alone once more. Sighing in relief, he released his Genjutsu_. 'So far, it worked on a kid, and it worked on an adult. So I guess that means my Genjutsu is a success. Now I just have to think up a name.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

At that moment, a thought occurred to Naruto that made him grin. _'Since I completed my Genjutsu, I should go out and celebrate! And what better way to celebrate than ramen?' _

Naruto certainly couldn't think of anything better. Giddily gathering his wallet, Naruto threw his Genjutsu around himself once again, performing his Henge a moment later.

When his Genjutsu didn't seem affected by the second technique, Naruto made his way outside.

* * *

Tori was bored. Well, that's not entirely accurate. He was also angry. His squad was quickly becoming the laughing stock the Anbu. News of his squad's inability to catch a six-year-old had already spread, and every time Uzumaki managed to elude them, the Anbu looked even worse.

He was shaken from his thoughts when his receiver came to life. "Observer Base to Stray Dog 1, Maelstrom has left his apartment and is in the stairwell, over."

Tori quickly began a slow pace toward the building from his position down the street. "Roger that, Observer Base. Stray Dog 1 to all elements, be advised Maelstrom is on the move, over."

Absentmindedly listening to the other members of his squad report in, Tori continued his slow pace, watching the front door of the apartment complex out of the corner of his eye. _'This would be so much easier if we could just _watch_ the kid!' _he thought irritably. But obviously, that wasn't an option with _this_ target.

He vaguely took note of the door to the complex opening slightly before swing closed again. _'Probably just the win-'_

"Observer Base to Stray Dog 1, Maelstrom has left the building, over."

Tori froze. It wasn't possible. "Stray Dog 1 to Lazy Cat 1, do you have Maelstrom? Over." Tori waited with bated breath.

"Negative, Stray Dog 1. Maelstrom did not leave via the back alley, over." came the reply.

"Damn it!" Tori swore before thumbing his transmitter to "village wide". "Stray Dog 1 to all elements, Maelstrom is running wild, I say again, Maelstrom is running wild, over."

Barely moments after he released the transmit button, a cacophony of voices, reports, and orders burst into life.

As Tori leapt to the rooftops to begin his search, he couldn't help but think, _'How? How does he keep doing this! If watching the little bastard wasn't my job, I'd be impressed!'_

* * *

While all this chaos was going on, Naruto happily made his way to Ichiraku's. As he walked, he observed the people around him, and how they paid no attention to him. People looked right at him, before their eyes slipped away. They even unknowingly stepped around him in the crowd.

'_Perfect.' _Naruto thought with a triumphant grin as he hurriedly passed a young woman wearing a Chuunin vest.

* * *

Kurenai was on her way to pick up a new stock of dango -as Anko had eaten all of hers, and Kurenai learned long ago that not having dango in her apartment when Anko visits is just asking for a sermon on blasphemy- when she felt a slight tug on her senses. She dismissed it as unimportant and continued walking. Even when the tug happened repeatedly.

Glancing around, she frowned when she couldn't spot the source of- _'never mind it's not important…' _Well it wasn't anything important- wait, what wasn't important?

Shaking her head, she looked around discreetly. The crowd had thinned out a little, which allowed her to more easily search for whatever was causing that tug. _'Is it Genjutsu? No, it's nothing importa-stop that!'_ Kurenai thought furiously.

Forcing herself to stay focused, she scanned the street. There was a small, brunette boy walking just in front of her, a trio of shopping housewives, a young teenage couple, and a sole Uchiha MP turning onto the street.

The Uchiha wasn't likely, as Kurenai had felt the tug before he arrived on the street. Glancing over at the teen couple, Kurenai was able to rule them out as well. From the looks of those two, they were far too…occupied…to be responsible for this Genjutsu. Especially with those roaming hands of theirs.

Which just left the housewives. Kurenai frowned as she studied them. They appeared to be normal women. Narrowing her eyes, she looked over the street once again. There was a trio of shopping housewives, a small, brunette boy walking just in front of her, a young teenage couple, and a sole Uchiha MP.

Looking intently at the Uchiha, Kurenai noticed him frown slightly, as he glanced over the road before seeming to relax.

'_So, he can feel it too. But he doesn't seem to be able keep his mind on it…not surprising since it's not impor-damn it!' _she thought angrily.

The teen couple had left the street by now, leaving only the housewives. She knew it had to be them, but she just couldn't find anything suspicious about them. Scanning the road again, she took note of the trio of housewives, a small, brunette boy walking just in front of her, and the Uchiha.

Kurenai had just begun studying the housewives again when her eyes suddenly snapped to the road in front of her. _'A small, brunette boy! How long has he been there?' _she thought in shock. How could she, a Chuunin who was easily on the level of a Special Jounin, not notice him sooner? Even as she stared at the boy, she felt the urge to just let her eyes slide off him, to disregard him as something unimportant.

Focusing, she stopped her chakra flow, allowing the boy's Genjutsu to wash off her. Studying the boy, she was surprised to find that he didn't seem to be very threatening. He looked to be about ten or so, and seemed to be rather plain. Plain brown hair, plain face, plain clothes. Too plain in fact.

'_A Henge?' _Kurenai mused_. 'But who wears a Henge _and _throws up a Genjutsu around them?' _Her musing was cut short when the boy suddenly dropped his Genjutsu, dashed down the road and entered a…ramen stand?

Curious, Kurenai followed the young boy into the stand, taking a seat at the end of the counter. The boy glanced at her impatiently as she ordered, before turning to face the chef, practically dancing in his seat.

'_How odd…I wouldn't think a ninja would be so excited about ramen of all-' _before she could finish the thought she saw an image of Anko sitting at a table awaiting dango. The two were…disturbingly similar.

"Hey Teuchi, what's the hold up? I ordered my ramen like an hour ago!" the child called impatiently.

The chef -Teuchi- just chuckled. "You've only been here a few minutes Naruto-san. Besides, what would Ayame say if she heard you say that?"

Kurenai frowned. That name sounded very familiar…

"She's not here, is she?" Naruto asked nervously.

"No no, she's out right now. Still, you never know when she might be hiding in the back." Teuchi responded with a mischevious grin.

Naruto scowled. "Well, if she isn't around, then who gives a damn how I talk?"

Kurenai watched as the two talked back and forth, and while Naruto seemed rather rude, Teuchi just grinned and took it all in stride. Perhaps this was Naruto's way of showing affection to the old chef.

"Hey, Teuchi…" Naruto started quietly.

Kurenai tried to lean in closer without being too obvious.

"What is it, Naruto?" the old chef asked with concern.

Kurenai glanced over, wondering just what vital piece of information she might be able to snag from this conversation.

"You…you wouldn't let Ayame cut me off from the ramen would you?" Naruto finished shakily.

Kurenai tried very hard not to stare. _'So much for vital information…'_

"Hmm…well, I wouldn't be able to serve you anymore if she did. She is my daughter after all." Teuchi answered.

Naruto seemed to droop in his seat at that.

"However…if you showed up a couple hours before the lunch and dinner rushes, then I might be able whip up a couple of bowls for you." Teuchi said with a grin as he placed a bowl of ramen in front of the boy.

"Thanks, Teuchi." Naruto said with a smile that drew Kurenai's attention.

For some odd reason, that smile seemed very familiar. And that name…

"No problem, Naruto-san. Of course, if you just did what Ayame told you and minded your manners, then you wouldn't have to worry about losing your ramen privileges, now would you?" Teuchi said with a grin.

"Traitor." Naruto accused as he ate his ramen. Teuchi just chuckled and went back to cooking, trading comments with Naruto throughout the boy's meal.

And so it went back and forth between the two. Kurenai was actually forced to eat so slow that her ramen went cold, and even then she'd been forced to order another bowl as Naruto ordered bowl after bowl.

It was around the sixth bowl that Teuchi said, "Alright, Naruto, you've had enough."

Naruto spluttered indignantly. "What do you mean, 'I've had enough'? I could easily eat another five bowls!"

"Sorry, Naruto, but ever since you threw up just outside the stand last month, Ayame decided that you could only have six bowls in one sitting." Teuchi said a tad bit sadly. "It's a shame too…if we let you eat as much as you could, I'd be able to retire, or maybe even turn this rickety old stand into an actual restaurant."

Kurenai chuckled quietly as Naruto twitched throughout Teuchi's lament.

"Fine then! I didn't want to hang out with your old ass anyway!" Naruto declared as he threw some money on the counter and stomped out of the stand.

"See you at supper, Naruto-san!" Teuchi called at the retreating boy.

"You're damn right, you will!" Naruto called over his shoulder.

Kurenai waited for a few moments, before paying for her own meal and following the boy.

Almost as soon as she stepped out, she was forced to dispel the boy's Genjutsu as he recast it.

It was much easier to dismiss this time, and Kurenai easily kept up with him. Glancing around, she decided to wait until there were more ninja before confronting him. As they walked, Kurenai took the chance to study him.

He seemed more tense than when they were in the stand, yet at the same time, he walked with a confident swagger in his step. Apparently, he thought his Genjutsu was impregnable. Which made him a rookie at best, though whether he was rookie ninja or a rookie Genjutsu user, was up for debate.

Then there was the name Teuchi called him. _'Naruto…why is that name so familiar…and why did that smile of his tug at my memories?' _Kurenai wondered as they walked.

When they reached a more crowded area, Kurenai glanced around for other ninja. There was a trio of Jounin sharing drinks at an outdoor café, a couple of Uchiha on patrol, any number of Chuunin running across the rooftops, and a team of Genin working on painting a fence under the watchful eye of their Hyuuga sensei.

Deciding that now was the best time Kurenai lengthened her stride so she was walking next to the child, before stating in a conversational tone, "That's a nice Genjutsu you have there. But if you don't mind me asking, why do you have a Henge on under it, Naruto?"

* * *

Naruto turned to stare at the woman in shock. She saw him. She saw him! And she could see through his Henge! She knew exactly who he was. He was frozen only for a moment, before he panicked and tried to run away.

He vaguely heard the woman call out "Stop!" followed by a man's cry of "Genjutsu!"

But all that was running through his mind was _'She saw me…she saw me…SHE SAW ME!'_

Naruto stumbled as he felt a stinging pain in his leg, losing his balance and falling head first into the ground. He barely had time to cry out as he slammed into the hard granite road.

His head swimming, and his vision tilting wildly, Naruto was barely aware of being scooped up and turned over. As his vision dimmed, Naruto found himself staring into a pair of crimson eyes before darkness claimed him.

* * *

**Translations:**

Tori=Bird

Tora=Tiger

Henge=Transformation

* * *

**AN**: There you have it. If you noticed, my Genjutsu is based on the "Graymen" from my favorite series, "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. Anyway, any reviews, criticisms, suggestions, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** Thanks to all those who reviewed**.** I should have responded to all of them, but if I didn't, then I apologise. Special thanks to inarealpickle, and simonmountney for picking up the slack for betaing. All reviews/criticism are welcomed as usual.

Now that that's out of the way, I present to you chapter 12 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"That's a nice Genjutsu you have there. But if you don't mind me asking, why do you have a Henge on under it, Naruto?"

Kurenai had been prepared for him to lash out at her, or to try to escape, or even play dumb.

So she was rather surprised when he froze and stared at her in wide-eyed horror, his eyes filling with tears. Kurenai was so shocked that she almost missed the boy turning and running as if the demons of hell were at his heels.

"Stop!" she called out loudly as she started after him, gaining the attention of the ninja around them. The Hyuuga and Uchiha were the first to respond, activating their dojutsu instinctively and seeing through the boy's illusion in the process.

"Genjutsu!" one of the Uchiha called as they began their own pursuit.

As a result of the Uchiha's call, the Jounin, Chuunin, and even the Genin put their hands together in the Tora seal, though only a few called out, "Kai!"

All of this happened in an instant, and just as Kurenai was catching up to the boy, a shuriken grazed his leg, likely thrown by one of the Uchiha.

The boy let out a pained cry before stumbling and falling head first to the ground, hitting with a sickening thud.

Kurenai winced at the sound, coming to a stop as the boy's Henge collapsed in a puff of smoke and the other ninja gathered near her.

Kurenai gasped as she saw Naruto's true form. She had been expecting to find a young, foreign shinobi or perhaps a missing-nin. So she was more than a little surprised when the brunette, too plain ten-year-old turned into an even younger blond boy with a small pool of blood spreading under his head.

"Oh, shit…" one of the Genin said uneasily, breaking Kurenai out of her shock.

Kurenai quickly knelt and scooped the little boy into her arms and turned him over. She was greeted by a very familiar whiskered face with a pair of blue, slit-pupil eyes that were slowly closing.

For an instant, the small child in her arms became a tiny, newborn infant that she had met only once. "Naruto Uzumaki…" she muttered in horror, finally recognizing what had seemed so familiar about him.

"Fuck, it is him!" one of the Uchiha growled before dropping to a knee and going through a series of hand seals before moving a hand over Naruto's head.

Once the gash on his head was healed, the Uchiha healed the cut on his leg before sitting back. "Well, he should be okay, but he'll probably be out for a while. So which one of you was supposed to be watching him?"

When no one answered, the Uchiha looked at Kurenai, who just shrugged.

"You mean he was running around on his own!?" the man asked, a mixture of shock, disgust, and outrage in his voice.

"What kind of six year old can even _use_ Genjutsu?" the other Uchiha asked incredulously.

"I believe young Itachi was capable of that, was he not?" the Hyuuga Jounin asked stoically before herding his Genin back to their work.

The Uchiha just glared at his back in response.

"So what do we do with him now? Just put him on street bench somewhere?" one of the Chuunin asked.

"Don't be a fool." the first Uchiha said. "If the Hokage found out we just left him out here alone, then we'd be lucky to die quickly. The man is completely irrational when it comes to this boy."

"I'll take him." Kurenai offered, shifting the boy in her arms so she could carry him more easily. "I am the one who caused this mess after all."

The Uchiha stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Very well. But know this. I know who you are, Kurenai Yuuhi. If that boy dies or disappears anytime soon, I _will_ direct the Hokage to you."

Kurenai just nodded and stood, taking Naruto with her as she left.

'_What a mess…' _she thought to herself as she headed back to her apartment. She was certainly gaining quite a few odd looks as she carried the young Uzumaki through the streets.

Still, they were far better than some of the looks Naruto was getting. _'It's no wonder he was running around under a Henge and Genjutsu. The poor boy…' _she thought angrily.

When they eventually arrived at her apartment, Kurenai quickly put the boy in her bed and tucked him in. Once she was sure he was comfortable, she grabbed a washcloth, a small bowl of warm water, and dragged a chair into her bedroom so she could sit next to him.

Once she was settled in, she studied the boy's face as she carefully cleaned the drying blood off his face. The whisker marks still adorned his face like she remembered, though she scowled as she studied the old scars on his left cheek. They covered the top two birthmarks, and appeared to have been dug deeply into his flesh.

'_Who could do something like that to a child?' _Kurenai thought angrily. _'I thought the Hokage said he was going to have him protected?'_

Kurenai sighed sadly as she reached over to gently brush his hair back from his eyes. _'He needs a haircut.' _she thought absentmindedly.

"Huh…never thought you'd be interested in little boys, Kurenai-chan. Though I guess it does explain some things…" a familiar voice spoke in her ear, startling her.

"Anko-chan, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop sneaking up on me! And I'm not interested in little boys!" Kurenai growled angrily.

"It's alright, Kurenai-chan. I won't hold it against you. Whatever gets you off." Anko said, leaning in to get a better look at Naruto. "Wow…he looks like he'll be quite the looker when he grows up, even with those scars…" Anko started with a grin before frowning. "Wait a minute…Kurenai-chan, is this who I think it is?"

Nodding silently, Kurenai turned back to Naruto's still form.

"Kurenai-chan…this is really serious. If the Hokage finds out you kidnapped Naruto-fucking-Uzumaki of all people…" Anko said in a rare moment of seriousness. "I think they hang you for that."

"I didn't kidnap him, Anko-chan." Kurenai said absentmindedly.

"Then what are you doing with him?" Anko asked as she checked Kurenai's bedroom window.

So Kurenai found herself explaining what had occurred that morning, from the ramen stand to her confronting Naruto, to the brief chase, and then her bringing Naruto back with her.

"You mean to tell me that this little kid managed to use a Genjutsu capable of fooling an entire street full of ninja?" Anko asked incredulously. "Isn't that a pretty high level technique? Like a B rank one?"

Kurenai nodded. "At _least_ a B rank, maybe even A rank. I wonder where he learned it?"

"I'm more interested in why you brought him here." Anko said teasingly. "After all, you could have just left him with the Uchiha. They would have taken care of him."

"I couldn't possibly leave him with them. You should have seen how those people acted around him. They treated him like he was some kind of wild animal!"

"What did you expect?" Anko asked with a shrug. "That they'd bow and praise his every breath? Thank him for his service to the village? Maybe offer to marry him to every clan heiress just to convey their gratitude?" She shook her head. "Face it Kurenai-chan, that kid is lucky to have made it this far, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up dead before he hit puberty."

Kurenai scowled at Anko for that, but she couldn't really disagree, not after what she had seen. Glancing back at Naruto's face, she asked quietly, "How much do you know about Naruto Uzumaki?"

Anko followed her gaze before staring at her silently. When she finally answered, Anko said, "I've heard some things, seen a few reports. Why?"

Ignoring her question, Kurenai asked, "Do you know anything about these scars? How he got them?"

Anko looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I think I heard something about it. All I can remember is that an Anbu got in trouble for attacking some doctors who wouldn't treat the kid…other than that I don't know…" Anko trailed off before asking a little more forcefully. "Kurenai-chan, why are you so interested in this kid? Why haven't you taken him back to the Hokage yet?"

"I will." Kurenai said defensively. "I just want to make sure he's alright before I take him back."

She paused for a moment and then turned back to Anko. "Say…Anko-chan…can you do a favor for me?"

"I'm way ahead of you, Kurenai-chan. I've got a couple of shovels, and I've picked out a place where we can bury the body." Anko said proudly.

Kurenai just stared at her eccentric friend. "What are you talking about Anko-chan?"

"Err…nothing, nothing at all…" Anko said nervously. "So…what kind of favor did you need?"

Kurenai frowned before deciding that she didn't really want to know. "I need you to go tell the Hokage that Naruto is here, in case he's looking for him."

"What!" Anko exclaimed. "Why do I have to do it?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kurenai explained. "Well, obviously someone needs to be here when he wakes up. Since I can't go, that means you need to."

"Why can't I stay here and you go tell the Hokage?" Anko complained.

Kurenai tried not to laugh, she really did. But in the end, she couldn't hold it in.

"What? What's so funny! Kurenai-chan, stop laughing at me!" Anko whined.

"I-I'm so-sorry, Anko-chan." she managed to choke out between laughs. "But the thought of _you_ of all people watching a child…" unable to finish her sentence, Kurenai burst into laughter once more.

"What's that supposed to mean!" an offended Anko asked. "Name one time when I screwed up watching a kid!"

Kurenai stared at her younger friend in disbelief. "How about when you were assigned to teach at the academy last year? You didn't even make it through one day."

"Look, I told both you and those pissed off parents, it was just a simple miscalculation!" Anko declared defensively. "Besides, if those little wannabe ninja had any skills at all, then they should have been able to dodge the glass!"

"And I've already told _you, _how in the world could you expect six-year-olds to dodge a hailstorm of glass on their _first day_?" Kurenai retorted. "And you still haven't explained how you managed to crash through the _wrong_ closed window?"

Rather than answer, Anko chose to cross her arms and pout.

"Now, why don't you head over to the Hokage tower and let the Sandaime know that I have Naruto here." When she received only more pouting, Kurenai sighed and offered resignedly "I'll buy dango for supper."

"Ok!" Anko chirped happily. Heading for the front door she called over her shoulder, "Don't forget to use protection while you're making love to your boy toy, Kurenai-chan!"

"Anko!" Kurenai barked angrily, only to be answered by her friend's cackle.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned her attention back to the sleeping blond.

Once her eyes landed on him, she couldn't help the images that appeared in her mind one after another. First, was the memory of the first time they met, with Kurenai cradling the infant Naruto in her arms. She smiled slightly, remembering how she marveled at the child's tiny form, and had been dazzled by his sky blue eyes.

That smile faded however, when she saw the wide, terrified eyes she had seen when she confronted him. The look in his eyes made her stomach twist painfully when she thought about how she was the one that caused it.

Then came the memory of the looks that had been sent the poor boy's way as she carried him.

'_I don't understand…what could the Hokage be thinking? How could he let a child just walk around on his own? Especially when it's obvious that people still bla-'_

Kurenai was broken from her thoughts when Naruto began to stir. _'Here we go.' _she thought as she smiled gently at the young boy.

He slowly sat up in the bed, yawning sleepily and rubbing his eyes in a rather cute fashion. Kurenai couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

She was surprised once more, when Naruto froze, then practically flew out of the bed and away from her. He glanced around the apartment quickly, before throwing his Genjutsu over himself.

Suppressing a sigh, Kurenai once again dispelled Naruto's Genjutsu. Once done, she gently said, "You don't need to be afraid Naruto-chan, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Bullshit!" Naruto shouted as he once more glanced around the apartment.

Kurenai twitched angrily as she tried to remain calm. "Watch your language, Naruto-chan." she said in what she hoped wasn't a too threatening tone. She didn't want to scare him too much after all.

* * *

As he started to awaken, Naruto could tell that something was off. For one thing, his body felt weird. Whereas he usually felt stiff and uncomfortable when waking, right now Naruto felt…good. Another thing was that his floor kept…shifting…and it was soft.

'_That's not right…' _Naruto thought drowsily. Sitting up, he let out a yawn while rubbing at his eyes, trying to fully wake up. He froze a moment later when he heard a terrifying sound._ 'Someone just giggled…' _In that moment, he remembered everything. The woman who confronted him, the terror as he tried to run, followed by pain and a fall, followed by deep red eyes.

All of this passed through Naruto's head in a flash, before he leapt from the bed and away from that giggle. Glancing around the bedroom, as he now realized he was in one he caught sight of his captor and tried to throw up his Genjutsu, hoping against hope that it would work. It didn't.

She seemingly dispelled it with ease, before speaking in a gentle tone, "You don't need to be afraid Naruto-chan, I'm not going to hurt you."

Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have tried to remain calm, but the moment she called him "Naruto-chan", the moment she called him the way _they_ had, he snapped.

"Bullshit!" he shouted angrily even as he took in her appearance.

The woman twitched for a moment, before frowning and saying in a mildly threatening tone, "Watch your language, Naruto-chan."

Managing to keep his temper this time, Naruto studied the woman in front of him. She was the woman who saw through his Genjutsu. He hadn't really noticed her appearance before, seeing as how he had been too busy running for his life, so he was a bit surprised to find a young woman with _red_ eyes of all things.

Red eyes that he found more than a little familiar.

She had shoulder length, unruly black hair, and looked like she might be somewhere between five and five and a half feet tall, though it was difficult to tell with her sitting down. She was wearing some kind of red, sleeveless turtleneck under a Chuunin vest and, from what he could see, didn't appear to have any weapons.

Taking all this in, Naruto decided to see if he could extract some information from her.

"Where am I?" he demanded, trying to scan his surroundings while keeping an eye on her.

"You're in my apartment." was the rather unhelpful response.

Before he could ask another question, the red-eyed woman said, "My name is Kurenai, by the way. Kurenai Yuuhi."

"Well than, _Kurenai_," Naruto sneered. "Why did you bring me here? What the hell do you want from me?"

"What did I tell you about watching your mouth?" Kurenai said warningly.

Naruto just glared back at her.

After a brief staring match, Kurenai answered his question. "I brought you here because you were hurt. You hit your head pretty hard after all."

Naruto frowned at her and asked in disbelief. "That's it?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there." Kurenai said with a smile.

Blinking in confusion, Naruto asked, "Why not?"

This time it was Kurenai who blinked in confusion. "What do you mean Naruto-chan? I could never leave a child out in the streets like that."

Growling angrily, Naruto said "Don't fuck with me! What are you up to? Why were you following me? And how did you see through my Genjutsu and Henge?" Too late, Naruto tried to bite back on his anger. He hadn't meant to say anything about that. Or at least, not so obviously.

Backing up as Kurenai finally stood and walked towards him, Naruto saw something he had hoped to never see again. Something _she _used to do, and something that he had seen Yoshino do to Shikamaru from time to time.

Where Kurenai once stood was now a dark, looming form that threatened pain and radiated anger. "I'm not going to tell you again, Naruto Uzumaki. Watch. Your. Language. Or you're going to get a spanking. Understand?"

Naruto had no idea what a "spanking" was, but he really couldn't care less as he bobbed his head up and down so fast that he got dizzy.

Not that he was afraid mind you. He just wanted to find out how she saw through his Genjutsu. Yeah, that was all.

"Good." Kurenai said as she returned to normal and sat down on the bed and patting next to her. "Now, come have a seat, and I'll answer all your questions. Okay?"

Nodding slowly, Naruto sat down on the bed next to her. Well, there was a _small_ space between them. Just a few feet really. But at least he was on the bed.

"Now, I brought you here because you were hurt, and I wanted to make sure you were ok." Kurenai explained. " And I wasn't following you, we both just happened to be going the same way when I noticed your Genjutsu." she paused here for a second, then continued. "I must say, I was very impressed by your ability to use such a complex Genjutsu at your age. If we hadn't been in such close proximity for as long as we were, then I might not have even noticed. It must be at least a B rank technique. Who taught it to you?"

Surprised to find himself beaming in pride at the woman's praise, Naruto didn't really think to hold back information. "No one." he said with just a hint of smugness. "I made it myself." When he saw her eyes widen, however, he cursed himself for just giving that information away. _'Shit! What was I thinking? I can't believe I just told her that! Now wha-'_

"That's impossible!" Kurenai exclaimed. "You're much too young to be creating such a complex Genjutsu. Why, I'm a Genjutsu Specialist, and even I was barely able to overcome it!"

Frantically trying to change the topic, Naruto asked the first thing that came to mind. "How did you see through it anyway? And how did you know I was wearing a Henge?"

"Well, to be honest, your Henge was flawless." Kurenai said distractedly. "I couldn't find any discrepancies in the image you created. I almost thought you really _were _an older brunette boy. But your mistake was making your Henge _too _plain."

"As for the Genjutsu itself, I'm a shinobi, paying attention to my surroundings is part of the job." She explained. "While I couldn't see you, my instincts kept telling me that something wasn't right. Your Genjutsu works amazingly well in passing, but the longer you stay in someone of my skills presence, the more likely they'll see through it."

Unfortunately for Naruto, he took that to mean someone with great skill in Genjutsu, not high Chuunin level skills.

It would be many years later when Naruto faced the consequences of this mistake.

Noticing Kurenai's thoughtful look, something that Naruto did not want her to be, he quickly asked. "So how did you know it was me?"

"What do you mean? The ramen chef said your name, remember?" Kurenai said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Naruto could only stare at that. _'Of course…why didn't I think of that?' _Resisting the urge to smack his own head, Naruto warily asked, "So what now?" tensing to flee even as he did so.

"Well, for now we're waiting for my friend to get back from the Hokage." Kurenai said.

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "What? Why? What does the Old Man have to do with this?" This was bad. Naruto had taken precautions over the last few years to keep everyone in the dark about his self-taught skills. Now, this woman might have ruined it all in one day!

'_I have to do something…something to keep her quiet…but how? I'm not skilled enough with Genjutsu yet so I can't try to erase her memory or anything. So what should I do?' _For a brief moment, Naruto considered a more…permanent solution, before mentally shaking his head. Even if he could stomach killing her -not something he was comfortable with just yet- he didn't have any of his weapons, and she was sure to be the better fighter. So what could he do?

Deciding to wing it, Naruto turned his attention back to Kurenai in time to hear her ask, "Old Man…?" in confusion. Then it seemed to dawn on her. "Naruto! You can't call the Hokage an old man! That's very rude." she scolded him.

Uncaring, Naruto pressed on. "What did you tell him? And why did you tell him?"

Narrowing her eyes when he ignored her, Kurenai said. "Well, someone needed to know where you were. And since I don't know your parents or where you live, the Hokage was the only choice."

"But now that I'm awake, you don't need to worry anymore. I'll just head on home and you don't need to talk to the Old Man." Naruto quickly interrupted, standing as he did so.

'_Who knows, maybe if the Old Man doesn't see me here, he won't believe anything she tells him…' _Naruto thought bleakly. After all, there's nothing wrong with hoping for something, no matter how unlikely.

"Don't be silly, Naruto-chan." Kurenai chided softly. "You're far too young to be walking around the village by yourself."

Frowning in confusion, Naruto asked, "What does being by myself have to do with anything? I've always been alone." Naruto didn't mind exaggerating slightly, if it got him away from this woman and back to his apartment. Still, he couldn't help but wonder. _'Why is she trying to keep me here? What could she possibly want from me? And why does she look so sad?' _

Indeed, Kurenai's face did take on a sad look the moment Naruto mentioned being alone. Before he could say anything else, Kurenai spoke quietly. "Naruto-chan…who do you live with?"

Surprised at her apparent ignorance concerning him, Naruto spoke without thinking. "No one." What she did next caught him completely off guard.

* * *

Kurenai couldn't help but feel a wave of pity and sadness at Naruto's words. Especially the way he said it, as if he genuinely didn't understand why his being alone mattered. _'Always alone…surely he can't mean that…'_ Kurenai thought worriedly. _'He's so young, surely there must be someone who takes care of him…right?'_

Then again, she'd never heard of any other Uzumakis, and surely no good parent would let a six-year-old -particularly one with Naruto's status- walk around by himself.

"Naruto-chan…" Kurenai began quietly. "Who do you live with?"

The boy just tilted his head in confusion, before answering. "No one." That was it, not a hint of emotion behind it other than surprise, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Looking back, she couldn't honestly say why she did what she did next. Whether it was some sort of maternal instinct, or she felt Naruto needed someone to express sadness for him, or even that she herself needed it, she would never really know.

Moving quickly, she grabbed the surprised boy and pulled him in close, wrapping him in a tight hug. Kurenai felt even worse when Naruto noticeably flinched at her actions, before struggling to get away. To which she just held him tighter.

Of course it would be at this exact moment that Anko would return with the Hokage, making their presence known when Anko oh so tactfully exclaimed. "Well shit…she really _is _into little boys!"

"Anko!" Kurenai half barked, half squeaked before addressing her leader. "Ho-Hokage-sama, what are you doing here?"

Kurenai couldn't help but turn red in embarrassment and anger as she stared at the Hokage nervously.

Not because she held any feelings of attraction to the aged Hokage, but because Anko had basically just called her a pedophile in front of one of the most powerful shinobi the world had ever known. And Kurenai happened to be hugging Naruto Uzumaki of all people at that exact moment. Someone who the Sandaime was rather unmerciful when it came to ensuring his well being.

The Hokage didn't answer her, as he glared slightly at her with…jealousy? Frowning in confusion, she just barely caught a single word in the Hokage's muttering, "Lucky…"

Blinking, Kurenai realized that the Sandaime wasn't looking at her so much as Naruto, and combined with that "lucky" comment, realized just where Naruto's head -as well at his hands- were currently at as the boy still struggled to get out of her hug.

Turning red purely out of anger this time, Kurenai said, "Hokage-sama! Watch your language around Naruto-chan! I swear, how did you ever raise two children of your own if you can't remember how to act around a child?" She angrily scolded him, shifting the still fidgeting child so his hands weren't in quite such an inappropriate place. Not that it was really that bad seeing as he was just a child, but with Anko's comment, it became a little more awkward.

'_Speaking of Anko.' _she thought angrily as she pointed a finger at her eccentric friend. "And you! Stop making up such inappropriate stories about people! Think before you speak once in a while!"

The subjects of her scolding both looked sheepish and apologetic, and as Kurenai opened her mouth to continue she was interrupted by a loud growling. Blinking, she looked down at the source of the growl only to find him glaring at his own stomach while muttering, "Traitor…" accusingly.

Giggling at the adorable pout, Kurenai continued in a softer tone. "Well, sounds like someone is hungry. Naruto-chan, what do you say we go out and get something to eat? Then I'll take you home okay?"

Naruto eyed her in a manner far too suspicious for a child his age, before nodding slowly.

"Alright then," she said as she rose and shifted Naruto so he was resting on her hip. "Let's go get some dango, and if she promises to behave, Anko-chan can come too."

Instantly Anko's sheepish look disappeared as her eyes lit up. "Alright, Kurenai-chan's buying!" the younger girl chirped before dashing off to get her sandals.

Following behind her, Kurenai tried to ignore the way Naruto tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Hokage as they neared him. Because of this, she was the only one who heard the Sandaime's soft-spoken words. "We need to talk."

For her part, Kurenai simply smiled pleasantly at the aged Kage and said sweetly, "But of course Hokage-sama. We have much to discuss after all, like the proper raising of a child, or being jealous of someone's closeness with a woman young enough to be _your_ _daughter_, among other things."

The Sandaime actually blushed slightly at that last part, even as he took a cautious step back and sent her a confused look.

Ironically enough, Sarutobi had in fact not been jealous of Naruto, but rather jealous of _her. _His jealousy came from one simple fact. Kurenai was able to hug _his_ grandson without any form of protest from said child. If _he _on the other hand, so much as tried to ruffle Naruto's hair, it would trigger a full blown anxiety attack.

"Hurry up, Kurenai-chan! We should have been at the restaurant like an hour ago!" came Anko's voice, breaking up the slight stare down between Kurenai and the Sandaime.

"We're coming Anko-chan, be patient." she said as she carried Naruto into the living room and towards the door where an impatient Anko waited. Slipping on her own sandals, Kurenai set Naruto down on a chair in order to help him put on his sandals. Which apparently, upset Naruto because he jumped out of the chair with a scowl and put his sandals on by himself.

Giggling again at his pout, Kurenai quickly scooped him up into her arms again before he could put too much distance between them.

Nodding to Anko, who opened the door and dashed out it, Kurenai bid the Hokage goodbye and followed the excitable Chuunin.

Once in the street, Kurenai felt her good mood nearly evaporate as several people began sending looks of hatred and disgust towards Naruto. Though the looks of fear were the worst and sent a chill down her spine. Kurenai knew full well that people were often at their most dangerous when they were afraid. Even Anko must have felt it as she became unusually quiet and somber.

Kurenai did her best to ignore the looks, as there was no way she was going to start something while Naruto was with her.

Despite that, she didn't miss it when Anko palmed a kunai and moved a little closer to her.

'_So she sees it too. What is wrong with these people? How could they treat a child so cruelly?' _Kurenai glanced over at Anko. _'I hope she doesn't do anything rash-'_

She was broken from her thoughts when Anko let out a…squeal. "Kurenai-chan, look, look! I can see the restaurant! I'm gonna go ahead and order!" Anko called over her shoulder as she dashed forward, attracting stares from the other people in the street.

"Kaa-chan," one nearby little girl asked her mother. "Why are ninjas so weird?"

Kurenai couldn't help but feel embarrassed as the woman replied, "I don't know dear, I just don't know."

Trying not to attract anyone's attention, Kurenai hurried after Anko, not daring to look at anyone after Anko's outburst.

It was only after she entered the restaurant that Kurenai realized no one had looked her and Naruto's way after Anko's antics. _'Did she intentionally draw attention to herself for Naruto's sake?' _Kurenai wondered as she scanned the room for Anko. She found her sitting at a table, loudly and childishly demanding dango. _'Then again, maybe she really _was _that excited.' _Kurenai mentally sighed. _'Probably a bit of both.'_she concluded with a rueful smile.

Pulling out a chair, she set Naruto down before sitting next to him and across from Anko.

"I already ordered for us, Kurenai-chan." Anko informed her, "I even got a kid's meal for the brat, and some sake for us."

* * *

"I'm not a brat." Naruto growled angrily at that Anko girl. Really, it was bad enough that they dragged him out here after everything else that Kurenai woman had done. But now that girl was trying to treat him like a little kid when she was the one who kept acting like a child!

"You sure?" Anko asked. "You look pretty small to me, brat."

Twitching, Naruto said, "You're one to talk. You look like you're about twelve."

Not the best of comebacks to be sure, but Anko sure seemed to take it hard, judging by her watery eyes. "Sniff-Kurenai-chan -sniff- the little brat said I have small breasts!" The teen sniffed as she held her hands to her chest, to which Naruto could only respond, "Huh? No I didn't."

Anko didn't seem to hear him as she grabbed a passing waiter. "You don't think my breasts are small do you?" she asked with wide eyes as she wrapped his arm in a tight hug to her chest.

The man turned red as he stuttered "Uh, well, I wouldn't say they're huge, b-but they're not really that small for your age b-but I could be wrong, so maybe I should take a lo-" was as far as he got before Kurenai's glare drove him off.

"See, so there you have it, I'm a very matured young woman." Anko said cheerfully as she settled back down in her chair.

For a moment, Naruto could only stare at her before asking incredulously. "How did that prove anything? You started crying and then hugged the first person to walk by."

When she didn't answer, he frowned before following her line of sight to another waiter approaching their table carrying a tray with a few bowls of some kind of soup and another with…some round ball things on a skewer. A lot of round things on a skewer.

The waiter made a point of placing their food down and then quickly walking away, as if afraid to stay near them.

He frowned at the man, thinking that he was distancing himself because of Naruto's presence, but was surprised when Kurenai smiled and said "Don't worry about him. He's just afraid Anko will bite him."

Tilting his head in confusion, Naruto couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "Why would he think that?"

Kurenai giggled and pointed at Anko who was devouring her portion of the round things, which Naruto couldn't help noticing that she had a much larger portion than him and Kurenai put together.

Staring down at his own food, Naruto frowned as he poked at the things half-heartedly. He really didn't want to eat these things, and he most definitely didn't want to eat with these kunoichi. But he was hungry, and it wouldn't take the women long to notice he wasn't eating. And if this was a trap, they might get impatient and just go for the old fashion way of killing him. Namely, with judicious use of sharp metal objects.

Looking out of the corner of his eye, Naruto studied Anko for the first time without her running around or his own vision obstructed by the crimson-eyed Chuunin.

She was in her mid-teens, and looked like she was around five foot give or take. Like Kurenai, Anko had strange eyes, though where Kurenai had red with spirals, Anko had pupil-less hazel colored eyes.

Another similarity between the two was the Chuunin vests they both wore, though Anko looked like she was just wearing a t-shirt and khaki shorts under her vest.

She also kept her purple hair in an untidy pony tail.

'_Oh, and lets not forget the part where she might be cra-._' Naruto was shaken from his thoughts when Anko stole his food from right in front of him. "Hey!" he protested instinctively. Sure he hadn't been planning to eat it, but that food was his. His to do with what he pleased, and she had taken it from him like he was unworthy of even something as simple as these "dango".

"Anko-chan! You already have your own food, leave Naruto-chan's alone." Kurenai scolded the younger Chuunin.

"What? It's not like the kid was eating them." Anko replied in a carefree tone.

When it became clear that Anko wasn't going to give him back his food, Kurenai moved both her chair and her own plate closer to him. "Here, you can share with me, Naruto-chan." she offered kindly.

That was another thing he didn't understand. _'Why is she acting so nice to me? What's she after?' _Naruto stared at her suspiciously, trying to figure out just what was going through her head.

She just smiled at him with a tinge of sadness, before offering him a skewer from her plate. When he didn't take it, she just smiled again and pulled a dango off the skewer and popped it in her mouth. Then the second, and then the third. Once she finished off that skewer, she picked up a second and offered it to him.

Frowning, Naruto didn't take this one either. _'I am hungry though…and these dango things smell pretty good…not as good as ramen obviously, but good none the less.'_ he thought to himself. _'Besides, it's not like they could know exactly which skewer I'd pick, and Kurenai doesn't seem to be getting sick.'_

Accepting that rationale, Naruto grabbed one of the skewers off the plate for himself. Cautiously picking a dango, Naruto slowly took a bite of it, unaware that both kunoichi were discretely observing him. _'This is…actually pretty good!'_Naruto thought as he slowly rolled the food around on his tounge, waiting for any signs of poison. After a few moments, when nothing happened, he chewed the dango and swallowed.

As he picked up the pace of his eating, Kurenai smiled and asked, "So, I take it you like dango, Naruto-chan?"

Before he could answer, that Anko girl cut in around a mouthful of dango. "Of course he likes it, Kurenai-chan! There's nothing better than dango, right kid!" Despite the wording, Anko clearly wasn't asking a question.

Swallowing his own mouthful of food, Naruto nonchalantly replied, "Well, it's alright."

"Al-alright!" Anko spluttered in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'alright'? Name one thing that tastes better than dango!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Naruto looked at the dango loving kunoichi in confusion. "You're kidding, right?" When she just stared at him, Naruto turned to look at Kurenai, unable to believe this. When Kurenai just shrugged at him, Naruto turned back to Anko. "Ha-haven't you ever had ramen?" Oh how it hurt to even say those words, but if Anko hadn't ever tasted the heavenly goodness of Ramen, then it was his duty as a human being to introduce her to the delicious noodles of warmth and kindness.

"Ramen!" Anko spat in shock. "Surely you're not comparing a bunch of mushy noodles to the joys and goodness of dango!"

"You take that back!" Naruto growled in outrage. "Ramen is not a bunch of mushy noodles, and if you had even half a brain you'd know that Ramen is the greatest gift that God has ever given to man!"

"Blasphemy!" Anko screamed as she surged to her feet, and drawing the attention of the entire restaurant in the process. "Repent, you blasphemous heathen! Embrace the wonders of dango, or else!" she gripped her skewer as if it was some kind of holy sword.

Unable to believe the stupidity in front of him, Naruto turned to Kurenai again, only to see the woman with her face buried in her hands, muttering, "Not again…" in a depressed voice.

Turning back to confront the foolish teen, Naruto found himself leaning back in his chair, trying to put some distance between himself and the dango skewer that Anko was all but shoving up his nose.

"Say it!" Anko demanded. "Say that dango is the best! That nothing could ever be better! Say it!"

Frowning, Kurenai reached forward and slapped the skewer out of Anko's hand, which Naruto quickly scooped up and ate. After all, just because Anko was an idiot didn't make him any less hungry.

"Anko, that's enough. You promised to behave, remember?" Kurenai scolded.

"But-but-but you heard what he said!" Anko spluttered in outrage. "He has to be shown the error of his ways and-"

"Knock it off, Anko." Kurenai sighed. "He's only a child and you're _supposed _to be an adult, so just let it go."

Sitting back with a huff, Anko pouted and looked away, even as she devoured another dango.

Looking back and forth between the two women, Naruto asked. "Are you two sisters or something?"

Blinking in surprise, Kurenai asked, "Why, do we act like sisters?" Even Anko perked up to hear Naruto's answer.

"Well, even though you two are so different from each other, you seem pretty close. But she," Naruto paused to point at the younger of the two kunoichi, "is way too old to be your daughter. So I figured you must be sisters or something."

Chuckling, Kurenai grinned at Anko before answering. "No, we aren't related at all, Naruto-chan. But now that I think about it, you and Anko-chan haven't been properly introduced yet."

Naruto looked back and forth between the sulking Anko, who was still grumbling about "Blasphemous little heathen…" and the grinning Kurenai who said "Naruto Uzumaki, meet my good friend Anko Mitarashi."

"That's Anko-sama to you, brat!" Anko added.

Kurenai's grin slipped a little when he just grunted and went back to eating.

And that was how the rest of the meal went, with Kurenai trying to get him to talk and Anko acting like a crazy child. For his part, Naruto spent most of the meal -well the parts when he wasn't trying to watch everywhere at once anyway- trying to wrap his mind around this Kurenai lady.

Sure, she acted all nice, but he knew better than to trust that to be the truth. The problem was, he had no idea _what_ she was trying to accomplish by treating him the way she was. Because of that, he didn't know how to act around her. _'Is she trying to kill me? Is this all some elaborate scheme set up by the Old Man? Or is she like Yoshino? No, it can't be that. Yoshino only treats me the way she does because it's her job…right?' _These were some of the thoughts running through his head as he struggled to come to grips with the current situation.

You see, what most people don't know about Naruto is…he's not very good at reading people. Oh, he's not completely hopeless, and he _can _read people. It's just a lot easier when they are experiencing a strong emotion. When they were calm, it was much more difficult. Surprising, considering his paranoid existence but it's the truth.

It's also one of the reasons why he doesn't go out much. After all, not being able to read people isn't that big of a deal when there's no one around.

Eventually the meal came to an end and after some complaints from Anko, the bill was paid and Naruto was again scooped up into Kurenai's arms.

That in itself was another dilemma. On the one hand, he disliked being treated like a child. It was to be expected after all, he had spent nearly three years trying to prove that he wasn't a child and as such didn't need any help.

He also didn't like it because he didn't know what the crimson-eyed Chuunin was up to. He couldn't really defend himself, aka run like hell, if he couldn't get out of her grip and she would undoubtedly notice him trying to form the seals for a Kawarimi.

There was also another problem, one that left Naruto more than a little confused. The truth of the matter was, he _liked _how it felt to be held. Though he would never admit it, Naruto could still remember what it felt like to be hugged by someone, and Kurenai's hugs happened to feel a lot like the Old Man's had. And while that put him on edge, he truly _did_ miss the feeling of warmth and safety that had always seemed to flow from the Old Man's hugs.

Absentmindedly giving directions when Kurenai asked, Naruto continued to try to figure out this puzzle he had been presented. Before he knew it, they were standing outside his apartment door and Kurenai was putting him down, before kneeling in front of him.

He felt more reluctant then he would like to believe when she let him go. "Well, I guess this is goodnight, Naruto-chan. Make sure you brush your teeth before you go to bed and don't forget to floss." Kurenai said as she hugged him one last time before standing again.

"Yeah kid, and don't let the boogeyman get you." Anko added in her own farewells.

"Boogeyman? What's that?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Anko's grin grew feral as she said, "Oh, he's just a monster who hides in closets and then comes out to eat children at nig-" was as far as she got before Kurenai wrapped a hand around her mouth.

"Just ignore Anko, Naruto-chan. Now you better get to bed pretty soon. You're a growing boy after all." she said pleasantly before dragging Anko down the hall, scolding her the entire way.

Shaking his head at the scene Naruto went inside and went about getting ready for bed. Not that he was doing so because Kurenai said to. He just happened to be tired and she just happened to remind him about brushing his teeth. That's all.

For whatever reason, he eventually found himself thinking about what Anko had said about this "boogeyman" character. _'Ridiculous…I can't believe she actually thought I'd be gullible enough to believe such bullshit.'_

Once he had everything ready, he began to crawl under his bed like usual, when he paused.

'_It is bullshit…but…' _chewing his lip Naruto quickly grabbed a chair and used it to block the closet door._ 'No sense in not being careful after all.' _were his thoughts as he turned off the lights and climbed under his bed and getting as comfortable as he could before drifting off to dreamland.

* * *

**AN:** And there we go. I hope you enjoyed it, and any reviews, flames, criticisms, or suggestions you may have are welcomed. **Just so there's no confusion, Naruto and Kurenai will not be a pairing, nor will Anko and Kurenai, or Anko and Naruto.**

Peace, Vaan.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN**: Thanks to all those who reviewed. I should have responded to all of them, but if I didn't, then I apologise. All reviews/criticism are welcomed as usual.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

Kurenai sighed slightly as she and Anko made their way down the stairs of Naruto's apartment building. She had enjoyed spending time with little Naruto again after all these years, but that was tempered by her sadness and anger. Sadness at the condition of Naruto's mind, and anger at the people responsible for it. Namely, the Sandaime.

'_How could he? How could he let this happen? He promised! He promised that he was going to protect Naruto.' _Well, she had every intention of finding out. Child abuse was not to be tolerated in any form, and she would not allow this to continue.

That's what she tried to tell herself, but another part of her mind reminded her just who she planned to confront. Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't earn the title Shinobi no Kami by chance. He had earned the title through blood. Most notably, the blood of his enemies.

She couldn't help but feel a little nauseous at that thought. At the time, she had been too angry to really notice what she had been doing, but now was another matter. She had _scolded_ the Sandaime Hokage of all people. And while he hadn't seemed to react too negatively to her outburst, who knows what he actually thought. She had actually _threatened_ him, subtle though it was.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Anko finally broke the silence.

* * *

Anko Mitarashi was a surprisingly simple individual, and despite what some people may think, she is not insane.

…

…

Well, no more than any other ninja anyway.

But the thing about Anko is she is a very good kunoichi. Orochimaru, sick twisted bastard that he is, chose her as his apprentice for a reason. She was not only skilled, she was a quick learner and had a quick mind. The only reason she was still a Chuunin was rather simple. Orochimaru's Curse Seal.

Ever since the bastard put the prototype seal on her, she'd had to relearn almost everything she knew in order to keep the seal from acting up. This slowed her progress down quite a bit. If the seal hadn't been put on her, then she'd probably be a Jounin by now.

So if she was so skilled, then why did she act the way she did? The answer was really quite simple. She liked to have a good time. Oh, she could be serious when it was called for. Hell, she could be so serious that her enemies -or friends even- would crap their pants. But where's the fun in taking everything seriously? The Hyuuga, Uchiha, and Aburame all did that, and look at them. Complete stuck-ups.

No, Anko much preferred to be a grinning goof if given the choice.

So why wasn't she laughing it up and teasing her friend Kurenai like usual?

'_Oh, right, because the woman has a death wish,' _Anko thought to herself. _'She's a good person, of that there's no doubt. But you'd think a Genjutsu specialist would be a little more subtle when confronting people.'_

Anko loved Kurenai because in many ways, Kurenai was the only family she had. She was an orphan who had never met her parents, and the closet thing she had to a father was now one of Konoha's greatest traitors. A stigma that was quickly passed on to her upon her return.

Anko had been well on her way to drinking herself into oblivion the first time they met. Kurenai Yuuhi had no reason to look after her, no reason to care what happened to her. Yet for some reason, she did.

'_It's like the woman is incapable of watching people suffer "unjustly".' _Anko thought to herself. _'And no doubt, she plans to get in over her head when she confronts the Sandaime.'_

If she was smart, Anko would just stay out it. After all, she was very attached to life and Kurenai was a grown woman. She didn't need Anko to hold her hand or anything.

Glancing over at the older Chuunin, Anko couldn't help but wince. Her friend had that look on her face, the one she wore when she confronted that merchant who spit on Anko a couple years back. Kurenai had marched right up to the man and punched him square in his jaw. His glass jaw, apparently. Needless to say, that man hadn't crossed the two kunoichi since.

Anko mentally cursed to herself as she and Kurenai walked down the stairs of the Brat's apartment. Somehow, she didn't think the Sandaime had a glass jaw…or that Kurenai could actually hit him. Wracking her brain, she tried to think of a way to save Kurenai from herself.

Oh, she understood why Kurenai was so upset, and a part of her felt for the kid, she really did. She knew what it was like to be discriminated against and mistreated, and the kid obviously had it worse than her.

But he didn't seem to want anyone's help and Kurenai getting herself killed wouldn't magically fix the kid's life.

Glancing over at her friend and sighing to herself, Anko decided she had to at least make the attempt to talk Kurenai out of this. She was all Anko had after all.

"You play a dangerous game, Kurenai," she said, breaking her friend from her own thoughts.

"Anko-chan?" Kurenai asked in surprise at seeing such seriousness from her.

"He's not your problem, Kurenai. He's not some puppy you found on the street that you can take home and make your own," Anko said brutally. "It sucks that the world hates him, but that's life. If the Brat's got what it takes, then he'll pull through. If not, oh well."

The crimson-eyed woman frowned at her and came to a stop. "Oh well?" She questioned in a dangerous voice. "Oh well!? He's just a child, Anko! He's supposed to be cared for and protected, not thrown to the wolves! The Sandaime-"

"That's just it," Anko interrupted. "The Sandaime. Did it ever occur to you that the Hokage might be the one that did this to him? Or do you honestly mean to tell me that the kid is on his own because the Hokage thinks it's for the best? He's the Hokage, making tough decisions is what he does. If he feels that the kid needs to be segregated, then he probably knows what he's doing."

"I don't know what the Hokage is thinking," Kurenai replied. "But I do know that he isn't the kind of man who would throw away a child because of the day he was born on." She paused for a moment before adding, "Or a kunoichi because of who her teacher was."

Anko glared at her friend for that comment. Orochimaru was still a very sore subject for her. "I was already a Chuunin then. I could look after myself. The kid can't, and old man Sarutobi doesn't seem to be too bothered by it. After all, the kid didn't get those scars while shaving."

Kurenai looked ready to retort, but Anko cut her off. "Kurenai, you can't go up against the Hokage. You'll lose, and lose badly. I know you want to help the kid but you can't save everyone. Throwing your life away won't accomplish anything, and if you treat the Shinobi no Kami like a disgruntled villager, there won't be enough of you left to fill a sake cup."

Seeing her grow even more stubborn, Anko started to break down. "Please, Kurenai. I'm begging you. Let this one go."

She'd never admit it, not to Kurenai or anyone else for that matter, but the thought of losing Kurenai scared her. It scared her even more than her darkest nightmares of Orochimaru.

It really wasn't that much of an exaggeration to say that Anko didn't have a lot of friends. Acquaintances sure, but only one real friend. Spending time with Kurenai was the only thing she had to look forward to and Anko didn't think she could go back to how she was before Kurenai found her - drinking herself into oblivion in bars, secretly hoping that the next time she passed out would be the last.

She stared Kurenai in the eyes, trying to convince her by force of will alone.

Eventually, Kurenai looked away. "I'm sorry, Anko. But I can't just walk away and pretend today never happened. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I did."

Anko squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to shut out the little voice in her head that was screaming in rage and anguish.

Her best friend was about to confront one of the greatest shinobi the world has ever known, an action that might well cause her death. And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Well, nothing short of Anko tying her up and forcing her to live with her in some kind of kinky fantasy that some pathetic pervert might think up.

* * *

**Somewhere in Taki no Kuni.**

Jiraiya giggled to himself as he scribbled away at a notepad. _'Yes, this will make me millions,' _he thought to himself, just before he sneezed all over his notes.

"Damn it!" Jiraiya cursed over his ruined notes. "Oh well, guess that means some beauty somewhere was thinking about me!" He giggled as he turned the page and began anew.

* * *

**Back in Konoha.**

Sighing in defeat, Anko grinned as she wrapped an arm around Kurenai and began to drag her down the stairs. "Well, as long as you know what you're getting into, I guess it's okay." After all, there was no way she'd let Kurenai do this on her own. And who knows, maybe everything would turn out alright. Besides, all that serious talk made her sound old and boring.

* * *

"Anko?" A startled Kurenai asked.

"Don't worry Kurenai-chan. I've got your back. Hey, before we go talk to the Hokage, do you think we should buy some sexy underwear?" Anko suddenly asked.

Flabbergasted, Kurenai managed to choke out, "Wh-what? Why?"

The younger girl just grinned as she explained her reasoning. "Well, we might need to seduce the Sandaime, or at the very least strip for him. And all your underwear is boring."

Her mouth agape in mute protest, Kurenai shouted, "How would you know what my underwear is like?!" She blushed when her question echoed throughout the stairwell.

"Isn't it obvious?" Anko asked. "I looked."

Growing more embarrassed, she asked, "When!?"

Blinking, Anko simply said, "That time you went on that two-week long mission a few months back. I got bored and your underwear drawer was there, so I looked." Anko shrugged and asked, "Why are you getting so bent out of shape about this?"

Growing red in anger this time, Kurenai growled out, "You went digging through my underwear drawer while I was on a mission because you were bored?!"

Anko seemed to pause at that. "Well when you say it like that, I sound like some kind of sex deviant weirdo," she said somewhat accusingly, as if Kurenai was trying to twist a completely innocent event into something perverse.

Seeing her doing an impersonation of a fish, Anko continued, "Besides, you're changing the subject. Sexy underwear would really help if this goes south."

Finally getting her mouth to work, Kurenai asked incredulously, "How would sexy underwear help? And we're not going to seduce or strip for the Hokage!"

Pouting, Anko said, "At least listen to my plan first. If it looks like we can't win, then we'll start seducing him. The Hokage's ancient, and he's probably not getting any. So two young, beautiful kunoichi like us coming on to him will distract him. Then when he's distracted, we can hit him over the head with something, come back here for the kid and make a run for it." Nodding sagely, she finished with, "It's a perfect plan!"

Twitching, Kurenai ground out, "No."

"But-" Anko began only to be cut off by Kurenai.

"No," she repeated.

"Just thin-" Anko tried again.

"No," Kurenai said with an air of finality.

"Fine," Anko said with huff. Crossing her arms as they exited the building, she said, "But while we're on the subject of your underwear, how do you expect to ever get yourself a man with such boring und-"

"There is nothing wrong with my underwear!" Kurenai snapped in annoyance, which quickly turned to embarrassment when she heard a familiar voice.

"While I'm sure your underwear is just fine, we have other things to discuss, Kurenai-san." the Hokage said as he stepped from the shadows to meet them at the door to Naruto's building.

"Holy shit, it's a Kurenai Stalker!" Anko exclaimed as she pointed at the Hokage, much to Kurenai's embarrassment.

For his part, the Sandaime blinked once, glanced over his shoulder, and then raised an eyebrow at the excitable kunoichi. "I assure you, Anko-san, I'm not a… Kurenai Stalker." he said dryly.

"Oh, my bad," Anko said sheepishly before her eyes widened and she shouted, "Holy shit, it's an Anko-sama Stalker!" She pointed at the Hokage again.

"Anko…" Kurenai muttered depressingly, "cut it out."

She looked up from her hand to see the Hokage looking at her with a calculating eye. Anko apparently saw it as well, as she leaned in closer to her and said in a whisper that could be heard a block away, "I bet you wish you had some sexy underwear no-oof," before Kurenai cut her off with a well-placed elbow.

Stilling her face into the mask of a trained shinobi, Kurenai bowed to the village leader. "How may I serve, Hokage-sama?"

When Anko grinned and opened her mouth -no doubt to say something inappropriate- she put her shinobi skill to use and quickly stomped on her foot.

The Sandaime watched all of this, his own face an unreadable mask. When he finally spoke, he simply said, "Walk with me." Then he turned and started away from Naruto's, and back into the village proper.

Kurenai exchanged a glance with Anko, who had also adopted a serious expression. Their eyes met, before Anko glanced up into a nearby tree. Kurenai followed her line of sight and saw what she thought was a brief shifting of a branch. No doubt, it was really an Anbu member.

Their gazes met one last time, before the two quickly moved to follow after the Hokage.

* * *

Sarutobi ignored the two kunoichi at his back as he moved through the streets of his beloved village. Everywhere he looked, he saw happy people. Shinobi on a night out with their friends, families going out to dinner or a movie, young blushing couples on their first date.

After decades as a shinobi and as a politician, it was child's play for Sarutobi to keep the disgust off his face. Every one of those people was alive and happy, because of the sacrifices of two. One dead, the other tortured and broken. A father and son, who sacrificed everything to ensure their survival. And how do they repay that sacrifice? By working to finish -either deliberately or by inaction- destroying the young boy who was their savior.

He took a long puff on his pipe to try to calm himself. He couldn't accept it. He couldn't accept that these people could be so happy, could love and cherish one another, while the mere mention of Naruto would send them into a fiery hatred, or an equally intense fear. It enraged him, and it broke his heart all at once.

Oh, he knew that not all hated the boy. If fact, only a minority truly despised the boy himself. Even if you counted those who saw that Naruto and Kyuubi were two separate beings, and yet took out their anger on the boy, it was still a minority.

The problem was, it was also only a minority that truly cared for the boy.

The majority were indifferent to Naruto. They didn't care if the boy lived or died; whether he suffered or flourished. So long as they didn't have to interact with him, they just didn't care. On their own at least. Many were still drawn in by simple mob mentality, or peer pressure, or whatever you want to call it.

Mentally shaking his head, Sarutobi turned his attention to the two kunoichi behind him.

When Anko had shown up in his office to report that Naruto -after yet another disappearing act- was unconscious in Kurenai's apartment, he hadn't known what to think. Especially since Anko's report was rather cryptic, though to him it was obvious that her vagueness was intentional.

The question was, why was she being so vague? Was she trying to hide something? Or perhaps protect one of the few people to call her friend? And if so, why?

It was during their journey to Kurenai's apartment that his paranoia had begun to kick in.

Naruto had been disappearing without notice, and many suspected an outside source to be the cause. Now Naruto had turned up in Kurenai's apartment, a first as far as anyone had reported. How could that have happened? Was it coincidence, or something more?

Add to that, Kurenai happened to be one of the greatest non-clan Genjutsu users he had ever seen. Was it possible that Kurenai was behind Naruto's disappearances? And if so, then what could she be trying to accomplish?

Most of that paranoia had been removed when he and Anko stumbled in on Kurenai hugging a very resistant Naruto. Kurenai had obviously been shocked to find him there, not too mention embarrassed at Anko's statement. Plus Naruto wasn't half the actor he thought he was, so it was easy to determine that the boy didn't know Kurenai or Anko.

Still, some questions remained and he intended to get some answers.

"So explain to me, Kurenai-san," he spoke, gaining the attention of both kunoichi, "just how Naruto wound up in your apartment? Anko-chan was rather vague when she came to get me."

Kurenai blinked and glanced at Anko in consternation before answering. "I picked up on his Genjutsu in the street, Hokage-sama."

"Genjutsu?" He asked with genuine surprise.

Kurenai frowned. "Yes, Genjutsu. Weren't you aware that he could use Genjutsu, Hokage-sama?"

Instead of answering, he asked, "What kind of Genjutsu was he using?"

As he listened to her explanation, he couldn't help but feel a little awe and pride for his surrogate grandson. Awed that a six-year-old with little training and a couple of scrolls managed to create such a complex -if still flawed- Genjutsu, and proud that Naruto was that six-year-old.

It also solved the mystery of how the boy continuously managed to disappear from his apartment. With the Anbu restricted from observing Naruto closer, none of them had the chance to try to fend off the boy's Genjutsu. If Kurenai was telling the truth, then any Anbu who spent just a short time around the Genjutsu would have been able to overcome it.

Now the only question was, why had Naruto been using it? Was he aware that the Anbu were watching, or was this just a new level of his paranoia?

Realizing that Kurenai had finished her explanation and was waiting for his response, Sarutobi thoughtfully muttered, "I see. Tell me Kurenai-san, what are your observations of Naruto?"

The young kunoichi took a breath before responding. "He's unbelievably paranoid and antisocial, especially for a child his age. And he appears to have good reason to be, from what I've seen." Kurenai tried to keep the anger out of her voice when she said that, but Sarutobi was still able to detect it with ease.

"You're correct, unfortunately," he sighed. "Despite his recent progress, he still has a long road ahead of him before he recovers. Even then, I doubt he'll ever return to the way he was."

Shaking his head, he finally turned to face the two kunoichi at his back. "If you have nothing else to report, then you're both free to go." He didn't really expect them to have anything else to say, so after dismissing them, he continued on his way back to the Tower.

So he was quite surprised when the two quickly caught up to him. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "Is there something else I should know?"

Kurenai shook her head. "No, Hokage-sama. I was just wondering…" she and Anko shared a quick glance before she continued, "if you could answer some questions for me?"

He sent her and Anko a level look as he considered her request. Deciding that he didn't have any reason not to, Sarutobi nodded his assent. "You can ask, though I can't guarantee that I'll be able to answer." He smiled slightly as he quoted his sensei from the time he was a Genin.

Kurenai hesitated for a moment before she asked her question. "What happened to Naruto-chan?"

The smile left his face instantly as he eyed the crimson-eyed Chuunin. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Kurenai-san," Sarutobi said as he took another puff on his pipe.

He thought that he had remained calm as he said that, but both kunoichi flinched, however minutely.

Kurenai chewed at her lip slightly before asking, "Hokage-sama… on the night Naruto was born…you said he'd be put in the orphanage and protected…so…what happened?"

Her voice was near whispering by the end as he narrowed his eyes at her question.

Taking another puff, he said evenly, "Perhaps we should continue this conversation in my office. Come." He turned and continued at a faster pace towards the Hokage Tower.

As the trio journeyed in silence, Sarutobi considered what Kurenai had asked and what he would tell her.

On the one hand, she had been one of the first people to show concern for Naruto when he was an infant, and she seemed to still be concerned now. On the other hand, despite her involvement in the Sanada investigation, she didn't really need to know all that much.

As they approached the tower, Sarutobi made his decision and, with Kurenai and Anko in tow, made his way into the building.

"Please take a seat, Kurenai, Anko," the Sandaime said as he stepped behind his desk.

* * *

She was more than a little nervous as she followed his subtle order. Earlier, Kurenai had been certain that she had to do this. That she had to find out what had happened to Naruto so she could help him. Now though, sitting in this office alone save for Anko and the Hokage, she couldn't help but wonder if she had bitten off more than she could chew.

Focusing on her leader as he sat himself down, she tried to keep her emotions off her face as he spoke again. "So tell me, Kurenai-san, why are you so interested in young Naruto?"

Kurenai blinked at the simple question. Why did she care? Wasn't that obvious? A child was suffering all alone, and he was asking why she cared? She felt a little angry at the Hokage over this…but luckily, her fear helped keep her calm.

"He's a child, Hokage-sama. He's a child and he's all alone with no one to hold him and tell him that it's not his fault, that they're proud of him," Kurenai tried to explain. "I shouldn't _have_ to be interested in him, because he should have been adopted years ago.

The Sandaime stared at her for a moment, as if judging her answer. When he finally spoke, he said, "Very well then. Ask your questions, Kurenai-san."

Rather nervous at the Sandaime's impassiveness, she glanced at Anko for a brief moment before opening her mouth, only to close it again. She had intended to ask, "What happened to Naruto?" Only to remember at the last second the Hokage's admonishment to be more specific.

Thinking quickly, she asked the first thing that came to mind. "How did Naruto-chan get those scars?"

Probably not the best thing to start off with, if the elderly Kage's flinch was anything to go by.

The Sandaime let out a sigh before explaining all that had happened while Naruto was living at the orphanage.

"Shit…" Anko said when the Sandaime finished explaining. "I'm no stranger to brutality, but even I'd never think about torturing a three year old. And the brat wasn't even unconscious? Shit…"

Kurenai was struggling to keep from shouting out as she asked, "Then how did Naruto-chan end up living by himself?"

For a moment, silence was her only answer as the Sandaime studied her once more. After a minute, she began to grow nervous, wondering if she had somehow offended or angered him. Then her mind began to travel down the path of "what if?". What if she had angered him, what would he do to her for that? Would she find herself on a suicide mission, or in a cell at T and I? Or would she simply never leave the office alive? And what about Anko, whom she had dragged into this with her?

"He was adopted," the Sandaime said carefully, breaking her out of her morbid thoughts. "When Naruto was four, he was taken in by an elderly couple with my blessing. He lived happily with them for nearly seven months."

There was a pause before Anko finally contributed to the conversation. "Seven months? So what happened?"

Both kunoichi had an idea what the answer would be before he even spoke.

"They tried to kill young Naruto, and they paid for it with their lives. Naruto has never been the same since," the Sandaime said with a mixed expression of anger and sadness on his face.

The Hokage then explained Naruto's therapy with Yoshino, as well as what had happened since then. Leaving out only the Anbu attack and the seals in and around Naruto's apartment.

When he finished, Kurenai and Anko were both silent, contemplating all that they had learned, as well as what they suspected.

"Now that you have your answers," the Hokage said gravely, "what do you plan to do with what you know?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Anko began incredulously. "I'm gonna teach that little brat not to belittle dango with his sinful ways."

Even the Hokage blinked in surprise at that, while Kurenai was thinking, _'I hope she's just kidding…Though knowing her, she might actually be serious.'_

"So, now that you have your answers," the Hokage repeated, "what do you plan to do with what you know?"

Blinking, she realized that he was looking at her specifically, ignoring Anko's mutterings. Frowning over the question, she considered what she _could_ do. She couldn't say, "Make sure he's taken care of." Since he apparently didn't want anything to do with…anybody. But she couldn't just walk away from this either. So what _should_ she do? Then it hit her.

Her plan needed a little fleshing out, but it seemed simple enough to her.

"Hokage-sama," she began slowly as her plan started coming together, "you've been having members of the Anbu act as pseudo babysitters right?" She waited for his confirmation before continuing. "Well, I'm willing to bet that Naruto could do better with a more…child friendly babysitter."

* * *

Naruto was jerked from his slumber by a loud knocking at his door. In fact, he was jerked from his sleep…and into the bottom of his bed.

"Ow…" he whined as clawed his way out from under his bed and stumbled towards his door. "Damn it, Shikamaru!" He snarled as he yanked the door open. "What have I told yo-" He cut himself off as he saw a pair of familiar women standing outside his door.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun." Yoshino greeted him with a gentle smile. "May we come in?"

Naruto stared at her companion suspiciously, before reminding himself that he could trust Yoshino -probably- and nodded as he let them in.

"G'morning, Yoshino," he muttered as he rubbed at his sore head, something that both women picked up on.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered before asking, "So what are you doing here, Yoshino? And why'd you bring _her_?"

"It's nice to see you again too, Naruto-chan," Kurenai said with a hint of sarcasm. "How's your head? Did you sleep well last night?" She continued in a more genuine tone.

He silently cursed her big mouth, as Yoshino was quick to start worrying when she heard the red-eyed Kunoichi's question. "Are you alright? What happened, Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked worriedly as she pulled him close and began looking him over head to toe.

"I'm fine," he said stiffly as he sent Kurenai a glare. Really, if there was anything about Yoshino that he couldn't stand, it was the way she would try to baby him from time to time. Thankfully, those occurrences were few and far between. Otherwise, he might have had to admit that he enjoyed her attention.

Luckily, he was saved from her questions by his stomach growling, which caused Kurenai to offer to make breakfast. Eyes narrowing at the woman's audaciousness to think she could just come into _his_ apartment and do whatever she wanted, Naruto quickly followed after her, reaching his kitchen just ahead of her.

"I can make my own breakfast," he growled up at her. "I don't need your help."

For her part, Kurenai just smiled and countered, "But you just woke up. Why don't you and Yoshino-sensei relax and let me take care of breakfast?"

"I said, I'm fine," Naruto said through clenched teeth.

"Why don't we all work together?" Yoshino asked. "After all, it's been so long since you and I made a meal together, Naruto-kun. And Kurenai-san can help us."

Scowling, Naruto glanced between the two women. On the one hand, Yoshino was the one asking and he liked to keep her happy. On the other hand, he wasn't quite so fond of Kurenai and wanted her out of his apartment. So he compromised.

"You can set the table," he told Kurenai as he led Yoshino to the fridge.

As Yoshino chatted away happily, Naruto tried to keep an eye on the red-eyed kunoichi. Eventually however, he was forced to focus he attention on the eggs lest he burn them…again.

"So Naruto-kun," Yoshino started, "have you thought about finding a tutor yet?"

"I told you, I don't need a tutor. I'm just fine on my own." Naruto said in exasperation. She'd been bringing this subject up time and time again since he turned down the Academy. Despite being a military institution, the Academy was also responsible for teaching a number of other -no less important- skills to its students. These skills ranged from math, to nutritional matters, to basic map reading skills among others.

Children who didn't attend the Academy were usually taught these things by a family member, a Master if they took up an apprenticeship, or in certain cases, a tutor.

Naruto just happened to fall under one of those certain cases. Despite this, he had no real desire for a tutor, regardless of what Yoshino said. After all, he'd taught himself how to use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu. So, with a few books he could teach himself other things.

Unfortunately, Naruto couldn't convince _her_ of that without actually _showing_ her his skills. Which would defeat the purpose of keeping them secret in the first place.

So she kept bringing it up time and time again, trying to convince him to- "Wait a minute… is that why you brought her here?" Naruto asked. "Because I don't need a tutor, I'm just fine by myself."

"Oh no, that's not why I'm here at all," Kurenai spoke up as she finished setting the table. "I'm here to help take care of you between missions. But if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to help you with your studies."

"…" Naruto looked at her, then looked to Yoshino for confirmation. When Yoshino mentioned how nice that would be, Naruto was quick to interrupt. "I don't need a babysitter. And I don't need a tutor either."

"Naruto-kun," Yoshino sighed sadly before kneeling down in front of him, "you know I care about you, don't you?" She asked as she brushed at his hair to try to give it some semblance of neatness. "I wouldn't be asking this of you unless I really thought it was for the best. At least give them a chance. I even know someone who wouldn't mind teaching you. Please?"

After a moment of grumbling and thinking, Naruto finally agreed. "I'll give it a try. But only the one time. If I don't like him then you have to promise to stop pestering me about this."

Yoshino smiled and agreed, causing Naruto to grin at his own cleverness. Now all he had to do was meet this "tutor", get rid of him, and bam, Yoshino is happy and he doesn't have to deal with her nagging anymore. Perfect plan.

Once their meal was ready, Naruto and Yoshino sat down at his table to enjoy breakfast, only to be surprised to find a third set of dishes laid out as Kurenai sat down across from him.

Glaring at her suspiciously, Naruto tried to keep an eye on her while eating and talking with Yoshino. She must have noticed, but all she did was smile and say, "This is delicious, you're a very good cook, Naruto-chan." He just grunted and turned back to his own plate.

Eventually, the meal ended and Yoshino had to leave but promised to bring Shikamaru by later. This of course left him alone with Kurenai once again. "So, what would you like to do, Naruto-chan?"

"Why are you still here?" He asked bluntly. "I don't need a babysitter, I can take care of myself."

Raising an eyebrow, Kurenai simply said, "I disagree."

Naruto ground his teeth angrily at that for a moment before forcing himself to calm down. After all, all he had to do was the same things he'd always done, and eventually she'd get the message and stop showing up. It was just a matter of time.

* * *

**Four Months Later**

'_Why the hell won't she stay away!?' _Naruto thought angrily as he once again woke to the smell of breakfast cooking. He couldn't understand it. He had done everything that had worked before, yet Kurenai just kept coming back, even showing up before he was awake to make him breakfast! Even worse, she was around so often that he hadn't been able to practice any of his skills or sneak out to the library. Even his ramen trips were cut back!

Strangely enough, as angry as she made him, his confusion was even greater. None of her predecessors had made much of an effort to get close to him. Hell, most of them only showed up to cook then took off again.

Kurenai on the other hand, acted kind of like Yoshino did. Only without all the weird questions about feelings. She shared at least one meal with him a day when in the village, and insistently tried to get him to play games or even read stories with her.

She showed up with books that she thought might interest him, and she tried to convince him to go into the village with her without his Henge and Genjutsu for shopping or just to go for a walk.

Perhaps the thing he hated most was that she attempted to hug him at every opportunity. Whether it was laughing at him when he said something "silly" or just before she left for the day, she would just suddenly reach out and hug him.

The first few time she did that scared the living shit out of him. After two years, he had grown used to the way his "babysitters" acted. They were more or less politely indifferent. Kurenai apparently had a different viewpoint than the others. One that involved a lot of teasing, attempts at conversation, and just interaction in general really. Oh. And hugs. Lots of hugs.

After the first few times, Naruto had been determined to be alert and keep her at arms length. And it worked…for a while.

If anything, Kurenai was persistent. What followed was a strange kind of cat and mouse game that he tended to lose more often than not. It was strange in that she was careful not to just force her attention on him. In fact, she usually let him go as soon as he started struggling.

After a couple of months, Naruto came to a rather startling conclusion. Gradually, he had stopped avoiding her hugs. It happened so slowly that he didn't even notice that his guard was dropping. It got to the point that he was just tolerating her hugs, much like Shikamaru did when Yoshino hugged him in the middle of one of their games.

When he tried to figure out why he was becoming so relaxed around her, he was faced with a rather disturbing fact. He _liked_ her hugs. He felt…wanted?…comforted?…warm? He wasn't exactly sure. What he did know was that this left him in a very uncomfortable situation. He liked her hugs. He _craved_ them even. But he couldn't understand why. Why was she so attached to him? Why did she care about him when they didn't even know each other not too long ago?

He just didn't understand. And more and more often, he found himself not caring.

Another thing that he didn't understand was that she didn't seem to have told anyone about his ninja skills. The Old Man hadn't said or acted any different when he came around and neither did Yoshino. All she did was offer to give him some advice if he was interested.

As of yet, he hadn't taken her up on the offer. He was still trying to keep as many of his skills secret as possible. Not that he'd been able to work on any of his skills much since she started coming around. She was around so much that he could barely get any practice in.

In fact, the only time he could be sure that she wouldn't be around was when she went on missions, or when Yoshino or her "tutor" were around.

That was something else to consider. His simple plan for appeasing Yoshino had been shot to hell when his tutor, a Special Jounin by the name of Genma Shiranui, had offered to teach him something that he couldn't teach himself. Something that _actually_ interested him.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Naruto-kun?" Yoshino called as she let herself into the apartment. Looking up from the book he had been "reading" while keeping an eye on Kurenai, Naruto was both grateful and surprised. Grateful that he wasn't alone with Kurenai and could relax a bit, yet surprised to see that Yoshino wasn't alone.

She was accompanied by a man wearing a fairly standard Konoha shinobi's uniform. He wore his hitae-ate as some kind of backwards bandanna and he was chewing on a long… needle? He had brown hair and stood about six foot tall, looking to be in his mid to late twenties.

Naruto frowned suspiciously, as Yoshino greeted Kurenai before sitting next to him on the couch. "Naruto-kun, I want you to meet someone," she said gently as she beckoned the man closer. "This is the man I told you about. He's a Special Jounin and he has agreed to tutor you. Naruto Uzumaki, meet Genma Shiranui."

"What's up," the now identified Genma greeted.

Naruto just stared blankly at him for a moment before turning to Yoshino. "This is the guy you want to teach me? He's trying to eat a chunk of metal. How smart could he be?"

"Oi, I'm standing right here you know," Genma said dryly.

"Come on Naruto-kun. You promised me," Yoshino said in slight irritation.

"Fine, fine," Naruto said as he turned to face Genma. "Well, lets see what you can teach me that I can't teach myself."

"Huh?" Genma asked as he looked to Yoshino and back.

"The deal was, I'd give you a chance, and if you couldn't prove that I need you, then I could get rid of you and teach myself," Naruto explained smugly while Yoshino spluttered objections.

"We didn't agr-" Yoshino tried object only for Naruto to rather uncharacteristically interrupt her.

"I promised I'd give him a chance, nothing more," Naruto stated firmly. "So go ahead, _Genma_. Show me why I should waste my time with you," he said with an insolent grin. Really, he just couldn't wait to be alone again so he could actually do something useful, like work on his Genjutsu, or go for ramen. Once he showed that he didn't need this tutor, he could work on getting rid of his latest "babysitter" and then get back to his usual routine.

"Hmm, something you can't learn by yourself huh?" Genma mused idly as he rolled his needle thing around his mouth. "Well, you don't want to be a ninja," -Naruto shot a quick glare to Kurenai to make sure she didn't say anything- "so that rules out any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu…and you're probably not too interested in Taijutsu either." He paused to think as he glanced around Naruto's apartment. After a moment, he smirked. "Well, I suppose there is this one thing that you might be interested in…"

Naruto tensed as he reached into one of the pockets on his vest and pulled out a… small scroll? He blinked curiously, as Genma unrolled the scroll and placed the book Naruto had been reading on top of it.

"Now you see it," Genma said with a grin, "now you don't." And with that, he channeled a small amount of chakra and the book just disappeared. Genma than handed the scroll over to Yoshino, who placed her hand on it and channeled some chakra of her own, causing the book to reappear in a puff of smoke.

Naruto blinked in surprise as he stared at the book and scroll. _'Well…shit…'_ he thought in shock. "That…was actually pretty cool…" he said distractedly, missing the grins that lit up the faces of the adults.

"Well, I guess I pass your test then," Genma said with a smirk.

"Yeah I- hey wait a minute!" Naruto objected. "As cool as that…whatever it was, was, I'm sure I could learn it from a book just as well!"

"Nope. Sorry, but information on Fuuinjutsu is restricted," Genma said with mock sadness. "The only way for you to learn is from someone who actually knows what they're doing."

"Restricted?" Naruto asked. "But that would mean it's a ninja thing, and you already said you can't teach me that!" He was grabbing at any possible way out the trap of his own making. As much he liked this Fuuinjutsu, he had no intentions of dealing with this man after today.

"Well, a lot of it is for ninja only," Genma agreed before dashing Naruto's hopes. "But the fact is, sealing is way too useful to keep restricted from civilians. So only the dangerous stuff is restricted. Mostly people only get taught how to make certain seals, like for a storage scroll. Of course, seal experimentation carries a rather hefty punishment for civilians, and even ninja have to take certain precautions. After all, can't have some dumb ass messing up a seal and turning the village into a smoking crater now can we?"

Naruto was dumbfounded to find his plan crumbling around him. Grumbling, he smiled mischievously as he realized something. Once Genma had taught him everything he could about sealing, then Naruto wouldn't need him anymore.

* * *

**Flashback End**

Unfortunately, Genma was the one who decided what to teach him each day. And while Naruto didn't have any proof, he was pretty sure that the Special Jounin was intentionally going slow with his Fuuinjutsu lessons. Even worse, the man was mixing math and law, among other things, into his lessons.

Of course, Naruto didn't take that lying down. He spent most of his free time, aka when he was completely alone, to sneak off to the library and teach himself as much as he could of those other, less interesting subjects. He had hoped that doing so would allow him to breeze through Genma's other lessons so that he could get to the Fuuinjutsu and then, get rid of Genma.

Sadly, no matter how much he studied and how much he was able to learn, Genma always seemed to have more things to teach him.

Despite his frustration, he had to say that his lessons on Fuuinjutsu had been some of the most fun he'd had in a long time. He couldn't effectively put into words just how much he was interested in Fuuinjutsu. He was amazed by its simplicities and mind-boggled at its complexities. His only real regret was that Genma had strictly banned him, with the threat of stopping his lessons, from practicing seals on his own. So Naruto took Genma's threats to heart…and made sure he only practiced a little every now and then.

He hadn't told anyone, but a large portion of his interest came from subtle probing about using seals for security purposes. Just the thought of using seals to secure his apartment made him giddy. Hell, he might even be able to use it to keep out nosy kunoichi who wouldn't take a hint and stay away.

Stomping out of his room he had every intention of lashing out at the woman in his kitchen, he really did. But when he smelt the aroma of breakfast -fish and miso soup this morning- he felt his resolve crumble. Just a little mind you, and he still intended to voice his displeasure. He just decided to wait until after breakfast, that's all.

"Good morning Naru-chan," Kurenai called cheerfully as he entered the kitchen.

Grumbling, he sent her a half-hearted glare for the name. She had started calling him that when it became clear how angry being called Naruto-chan made him. Too many bad memories. So instead, she had decided to give him that little nick name. Which, while annoying, at least didn't force him to relive any of his past.

"Morning, Kurenai." Naruto said in flat voice that clearly voiced his displeasure.

She of course didn't seem to notice it as she turned from the stove and spread her arms out. "Can I get a hug, Naru-chan?" She asked with a pleasant smile.

He just snorted and took a seat at the table.

Kurenai took his dismissal in stride and turned back to her cooking.

Pouring himself a glass of milk, Naruto waited for her to place the food on the table and take her own seat. However, he was caught off guard once again when instead of taking her own seat, she reached out gave him a hug.

'_Damn it…' _Naruto thought grumpily. _'That's the 597th time she's managed to do that out of the 738 times she's tried.' _Not that he was keeping count or anything. That would be childish.

Shrugging her off him, Naruto sent her another glare as he drank his milk. She of course just laughed lightly and sat down next to him. "So, what do you have planned for today, Naru-chan?"

Naruto thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. Genma wasn't around today and he didn't think Yoshino was planning to stop by. So unless Shikamaru showed up, he didn't really have anything planned at all.

Kurenai of course, had been around long enough to know this. So he wasn't too surprised when she asked, "Well, if you have nothing else planned, maybe we could go out for lunch and the park afterwards?"

He stared at her for a moment for her persistence. After four months of trying and failing to get him to go out undisguised, she still insisted on trying periodically. "No," he said simply.

* * *

Kurenai sighed quietly as yet another attempt to get Naruto to open up failed. Really, she wasn't exactly surprised that he wanted to go unnoticed, but she certainly didn't want him to spend his entire life hiding from the rest of the world either.

But he stubbornly refused every attempt that she made. She'd hoped that if she could get him to at least go to that ramen stand he loved so much undisguised, and if the owners lived up to her expectations and accepted him, that he would finally start to open up to the world again. Still, at least he didn't react as negatively to her hugs as he used to. There was that at least.

Before she could try again to convince him, the door to the apartment swung open and in strolled Anko Mitarashi. "Goooood Morrrrning, Kurenai-chan!" She called happily as she strode to the table and grabbed herself a helping of soup and rice. Naruto glared at her, which she noticed and said with a smirk, "Oh, and morning _Naru-chaaan_!"

"Morning, idiot," Naruto responded spitefully.

"Who're you calling idiot!?" Anko shouted around a mouth full of rice and miso.

Kurenai frowned and said, "Anko-chan, don't talk with your mouth full. It's disgusting."

The younger kunoichi just pouted at her, then continued to argue with Naruto.

Really, Kurenai should have foreseen this when she decided to take on the role of Naruto's caretaker. Anko showing up whenever she happened to be bored -which was frequent- had caused a bit of a hassle. Still, Naruto seemed to get along with her well enough…sort of.

The two often acted like squabbling siblings, which helped to bring at least a little normalcy to Naruto's life. She might have even been proud of Anko if it wasn't for one thing. She couldn't decide if Anko was behaving childishly for Naruto's sake…or if she was really just that childish. With Anko one could never be completely sure.

Tuning in to their conversation, she was just in time to hear Anko ask, "So, you finally ready go out _Naru-chaaaan_?"

Naruto just glared at her and said, "I'm not going anywhere."

Anko blinked in surprise before turning to her. "What gives, Kurenai-chan? I thought you said you were gonna get him to go out today?"

She sighed even as she answered. "I said I was going to try. But it looks like he doesn't want to."

Anko snorted then said derisively, "What, is the little baby still too scared to go out and face the big bad villagers? What a little chicken shit!"

She frowned and opened her mouth to scold her friend, only to be interrupted when Naruto jumped to his feet with a snarl. "I'm not afraid of anything, you dango obsessed bitch!"

"Naruto!" Kurenai gasped angrily only to be interrupted once again.

"Ha! Big words coming from you, ya little bastard! You're so brave that you spend all your time hiding in this shitty little apartment!" Anko yelled back as she stood to her feet and leaned over the table towards Naruto.

"Anko!" Kurenai objected as the argument rapidly spun out of control. This wasn't one of their usual fights where they would argue about any trivial thing. The two of them were serious.

"I'm not hiding," Naruto ground out between clenched teeth as he got in Anko's face.

"Of course you are!" Anko spat back. "Boo hoo, my name's Naruto and nobody likes me so I just stay inside all day and never go anywhere without a disguise because I'm just too worthless for anybody to ever like me!"

"ANKO!" Kurenai shouted angrily, unaccustomed to being ignored. "You're going too far!" Anko of course just ignored her and continued to glare at Naruto in contempt.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said in a deadly quiet voice, his hair shadowing his eyes.

"Then prove me wrong," Anko challenged disgustedly. "Go to that ramen stand you like so much. No Henge, no Genjutsu. You don't even have to tell them who you are. Just go there and see if they treat you any differently than everybody else. If you can't even do that much, then you might as well admit what a coward you are."

There was silence for a moment as Naruto and Anko continued to stare at each other, with Kurenai looking on anxiously.

The silence was broken when Naruto asked, "And what do I get if you're wrong?"

Anko smirked mischievously and put a finger on her chin as if thinking, before grinning and sensuously running her finger up and down her neck, chest, and stomach as she said, "Well, if I'm wrong I guess I'll be your slave and I'll have to do whatever you want me to."

Kurenai groaned at her behavior until Naruto spoke again, proving that he was too young to understand Anko's insinuations. "Even if I tell you to give up dango and eat only ramen? Oh, and make you wear one of those fluffy pink dresses you hate so much?"

Anko pouted, apparently miffed that her teasing didn't have the desired effect. "Sure, whatever. Not that I have to worry, seeing as how the great Anko-sama is always right." she finished with her trademark grin.

"Whatever." Naruto grunted as he made his way out of the kitchen.

"Come on, Kurenai-chan. We don't want to be left behind now do we?" Anko chirped as she grabbed another mouthful of rice and soup before following Naruto.

Kurenai was dumbfounded. She had tried for months to get Naruto to go outside, and Anko had succeeded in one try. Of course, Kurenai understood that people had boundaries, and Anko tended to just smash through them. Blinking, she heard the door open and close followed by silence. Only then did it hit her. "They left without me!" She said to herself before hurrying out the door as well.

* * *

Naruto grumbled to himself angrily as he stomped his way out of his apartment building and towards the Ichiraku Ramen stand. How dare she!? Where did that stupid girl get off calling him scared? What did she know about his life, what he had gone through? Well, he'd show her!

Naruto nibbled at his lower lip as he subtly gazed around the street. He hadn't quite realized just how dependent he'd come to be on his Henge until he stepped out onto the street. Now he distinctly felt the lack of his security blanket.

A distant part of his mind voiced what a horrible idea this was. _'The whole point of your Genjutsu was to help you avoid notice and what are you doing? Walking around without anything, all because some stupid girl insulted you and thought you were hiding. What are you? Stupid? Crazy? Crazy-stupid?' _

Not that there was anything wrong with that. He wasn't hiding after all, just being careful. There is nothing wrong with being cautious.

But he'd show her he wasn't afraid, that he didn't care about what people thought about him, and that he was perfectly capable of surviving without jutsu.

Yet even as he told himself that, that treacherous corner of his mind whimpered, _'I wish one of them would say something, anything so that I could have something to focus on.'_ Not that he was nervous or anything, it's just that he'd gotten used to people talking about something or other these last few months. That's all.

"We're here, Naru-chan."

Naruto experienced a full-body flinch when he heard Kurenai speak. He'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts and surroundings, he'd forgotten that Kurenai and Anko were with him.

"Right." he said steadily, despite what anyone might say. "Lets do this." With that, he strode purposefully into the stand, the two kunoichi following behind.

Once inside, he quickly took a seat at one end and kept his face down, hiding the scars that identified him quicker than his birthmarks ever could.

Now that he was actually here, he kind of regretted agreeing to Anko's challenge. As annoying as Ayame might be, and as whipped as Teuchi was, he really enjoyed coming here. Even if they didn't know who he really was, they still treated him better than almost anyone else ever had. This stand was one of the only places outside his apartment where he felt some measure of safety, and once he saw the Ichiraku's react the way he knew they would to his presence, this place could never be the same to him. Even in Henge, he'd never be able to look the old chef and his daughter in the eye after today, after they did what everyone else had done and rejected him without a second thought.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye he saw Kurenai and Anko sit at the other side of the bar no doubt watching him in some sneaky way. He grimaced when he saw Teuchi approaching the two kunoichi, knowing that that meant he'd have to deal with- "Hello little boy. Are you lost?"- her.

He glanced up to see Ayame smiling down at him as she asked again, "Did you lose your parents? Maybe I can help you find the-"

"I'm fine." Naruto interrupted her, just wanting to get this whole thing over with as quickly as possible. "Can I have some pork ramen please?" he asked as he place the appropriate amount of money on the counter.

She nodded as she took down his order, though he could tell she was still worried about him.

When she returned, she tried to engage him in conversation while they waited for his order to cook. He tried to avoid talking as much as possible, suddenly feeling much more insecure about this whole thing than just moments ago. Especially since she kept asking him to look at her so she could "see what a cute little boy she had here".

"Well, could you at least tell me your name?" she asked when he continued to look down prompting Naruto to gather his resolve and raise his head.

It was obvious that she didn't see his scars at first due to the angle, because she immediately squealed "Oh, you're such a cute little boy! I could just gobble you al-!" Ayame cut herself off with a gasp. "What happened to your face? Did somebody hurt you?"

Naruto blinked and stared at her in surprise. That…wasn't quite the reaction he was expecting.

Taking in his silence Ayame spoke softly, "It's okay, little boy. You can tell Ayame-neechan what happened, and I promise to make sure whoever did this to you can never hurt you again."

Dumbstruck, Naruto could only gape at her as she stared at him with such worried eyes. _'Wha… why…this doesn't make any sense! Why isn't she kicking me out, or acting scared, or at least ignoring me?'_ he thought in confusion. He'd never once been able to enter any restaurant or store and been treated like this.

As he continued to stare at her, Ayame quickly darted into the back of the stand and returned dragging her father by the arm. "Over here Tou-san! I think someone's been hurting him!" she was saying as she dragged Teuchi over to him.

When Teuchi laid eyes on him, Naruto could see that he recognized him and lowered his head once, waiting for Teuchi's reaction.

He was surprised once again when the old chef's voice came from right in front of him. "Hmm, I'm pretty sure these are old scars, Ayame-chan. Whoever did this is probably long since punished."

Naruto glanced up, surprised to hear Teuchi sound concerned about his scars. When Teuchi saw him looking up, he looked him in the eyes and asked quietly, "You're Uzumaki-san, right?"

Both Naruto and Ayame were surprised, though for different reasons. Naruto, because Teuchi was acting like his usual self, and Ayame because he apparently knew of the "cute little boy".

"Do you know him, Tou-san?" Ayame asked curiously as she looked back and forth between the two.

This time Naruto was sure the answer would be in some of an insult or warning, only to be surprised yet again when Teuchi responded in the same tone of voice. "I know _of_ him, but we've never met before. A few years ago, anyone could recognize him because of his birthmarks. Then one day, rumor started going around that someone had attacked him and scarred his face, but I never expected the scars to be so large." Teuchi shook his head in disgust. "It's a good thing they executed that bastard, we don't need his kind in this village."

Naruto could feel himself starting to panic. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. It never turned out like this when people interacted with him…except for Kurenai…and Yoshino…but other than that, people never treated him like this. What was going on?

He suddenly found his face buried in a ramen smelling apron as Ayame wrapped her arms around him. "You poor little boy. Don't worry Uzumaki-san, you'll always be safe here with m-"

"Get off me!" Naruto demanded as he shoved at the older girl. "And stop calling me a little boy!" he lashed out angrily. None of this made any sense to him and if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was being confused.

"Naruto?" Teuchi asked slowly. "Is that you?"

Naruto shrunk in on himself when he realized that he had somehow given himself away.

"What are you talking about, Tou-san?" Ayame asked as she stared curiously at Naruto.

Teuchi just remained silent for a moment before he slowly said, "I see…those people who kept coming around looking for a blond-haired, blue eyed child…they were looking for you weren't they…Naruto-san. I imagine you're quite skilled in the Henge if you managed to fool us."

Naruto stared at him in confusion until he remembered Yoshino mentioning sending her clan out looking for him that first time he used his Henge. They must have come through the stand looking for him. "How…how do you know I was using a Henge?" he asked in amazement. Other than Kurenai, no one had ever managed to discover his Henge before, yet this old ramen chef had figured it out within minutes.

"Well, it's a long story, but once upon a time, I was on a Genin team with the Yondaime himself. I retired of course, but I still remember a few things." Teuchi explained with his usual smile.

"You were a ninja? And on a team with the Yondaime?! Why haven't you ever told me that before!" Ayame asked with a pout.

Teuchi just chuckled, "It was a very long time ago, Ayame-chan. Another life even. Besides, the shinobi life wasn't for me. I'm a chef and I'm just fine with that."

For a moment there was silence as the three stared at each other. Just as Naruto began to feel uncomfortable Ayame suddenly burst out, "I can't believe how cute my little Fishcake is! How could you hide this from me!" she cried as she wrapped him in another hug. "Of course, it also explains why your manners were so bad. You_ are_ just a little boy after all."

Feeling a familiar annoyance building within him, Naruto began yelling and waving his arms, "How many times do I have to tell you!? I'm not a little boy!"

Ayame scowled and set her hands on her hips. "What did I tell you about your manners? If you don't behave, I'm going to take your ramen away for good!"

"What's it matter?" Naruto asked depressingly, suddenly feeling very tired. "It's not like you're ever gonna let me back in here again."

"What are you talking about?" Ayame asked in concern. "Why wouldn't we let you come back?"

Naruto just snorted, "No one wants me in their restaurants. Or their stores for that matter."

"Well I don't care what other people do." Teuchi said with a huff as he stood up and started walking back to his cooking. "I say you're my favorite customer. Nothing anyone else says will change that. Now, you wanted a pork ramen right? First bowl's on the house."

He stared at the old chef, barely aware of Anko and Kurenai moving over to sit next to him, Anko with a smug grin and Kurenai smiling happily. His mind racing, Naruto dazedly reached out and grabbed Kurenai's fingers in a loose grip and for once, he had no objections as she wrapped an arm around him for a moment.

It would take him awhile to come to grips with the Ichiraku's kindness, though he'd be back to normal by the following day. And no matter what Anko said, Naruto most certainly didn't cry.

* * *

**Translations:**

Shinobi no Kami=God of Shinobi

Henge=Transformation

* * *

**AN**: There you have it. I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter yet, but I can't think of what else to do with it. Anyway, any reviews, criticisms, suggestions, etc. are welcome. Within the next two chapters, Naruto will begin attending the Academy. I know some of you don't like that, but it's far too late in the story for me to consider changing that now. My question for you is, do you want to see alot of his time in the academy, or do you just want me to touch on the really important part in flashbacks? I'll tell you now that I'll write a little about his first few days and introduce a couple of characters, but other than that, I don't have a great deal planned for his time in the Academy.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN**: Thanks to all those who reviewed. I should have responded to all of them, but if I didn't, then I apologise.

I'm rather proud of this story with the current stats being: over 100,000 words, 14 chapters, 335 reviews, 106,000 hits, 83 C2s, 519 favs, and 707 alerts. I also have new ideas that I'll either put up as a challenge or try it myself in the future, so check my profile for them. All reviews/criticism are welcomed as usual. And now, with out further ado, I give you chapter 14 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Six months later**

'_Remember, be firm yet fluid. If you hold the brush too rigidly, your seal matrix will be brittle and easily shattered if even the slightest thing goes wrong. But if you hold it too loose, the seal will be sloppy and easily lead to mistakes. And if there is one thing you cannot afford to do, it's to make a mistake with a seal. The last thing you want to happen is for a seal to go wrong, because you'll never be able to accurately predict what will happen when it does. You might just singe your hand, or you might turn everything in a twenty mile radius into a smoking crater.'_ Genma's voice echoed through Naruto's head as he carefully drew his first customized seal onto his kitchen table.

The reason Genma's voice was only in his head should be rather obvious. He wasn't there. And he'd definitely be pissed as hell if he knew that Naruto was working on seals unsupervised. Still, that wasn't going to stop Naruto from getting a little revenge.

The seal he was working on was little more than a small remote control storage seal. Really, the only difference between his seal and the standard storage seal was a small addition that _should_ allow him to activate it from the other side of the table.

His plan was fairly simple. Anko had been showing up uninvited for almost every meal that Kurenai was there for. Then, without asking, she'd take whatever she wanted. So now, he was going to send a message.

The next time she tried to mooch off of him, he'd just activate the remote seal and poof, there goes her food. A little childish perhaps, but then again, he was only six. Well, seven after tomorrow, but still.

Pausing in his work, Naruto scanned his "remote" seal for any flaws of imperfections. When he found none, he prepared the final few steps, only to be interrupted when a familiar voice called out from his door.

"Naru-chan? It's me." came Kurenai's voice, sending him into a panic as he scrambled to cover up his seal and hide any evidence of his actions. The last thing he wanted was for her to find out what he was up to. Especially since she was a snitch.

"Hey, Kurenai." he called back as he finished hiding his work. "What are you doing here? I thought you had a mission today?"

His relationship with the crimson-eyed woman had improved tremendously over the half year they had known each other. She had been nothing but kind to him, outside of the occasional scolding on his language, and had established herself to be a very calm and considerate person.

She always had a kind word or some good advice whenever Naruto struggled with one of his self-taught abilities such as math or history.

The first sign of the improvement in their relationship was the day Naruto woke up to the sound and smell of breakfast being cooked and instead of his usual angry reaction, he had smiled.

In short, the only person Naruto was more comfortable with than Kurenai, would be Yoshino.

Shaking his head, he asked "Sorry Kurenai, what did you say?"

The Chunin pouted slightly and playfully tweaked his nose. "I swear Naru-chan, sometimes you have the shortest attention span."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Naruto muttered dismissively. "So how come you're not on your mission?"

"Well, if you were paying attention the _first_ time," Kurenai said with her hands on her hips, "you'd know that I didn't want to leave without saying, Happy Birthday!"

Naruto could only blink in surprise. Generally speaking, he didn't really celebrate his birthday much. Nor did anyone else really. The Old Man used to come around and spend the day with him and give him a present or two. Yoshino would always wish him a happy birthday and give him a few books and games.

But that was about it. His birthday was basically the same as any other day to him, so he was confused as to why Kurenai was making such a big deal out of it.

"Ok." Naruto said slowly, sending Kurenai a look expressing his incredulity. "Is that it? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your mission or something more, I don't know, important?"

He was surprised when she gaped at him before wrapping him in a tight hug. "What could possibly be more important than wishing you a happy birthday?" she asked with something in her voice. If he had to guess, he would have called it sadness, though that didn't make sense. It's not like she had anything to be sad about. "After all, it's not everyday you turn seven."

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto pointed out, "No, just tomorrow."

She snorted and pulled back to glare at him playfully. "All right mister smarty pants. As I was saying, I wanted to talk to you about something before I left."

Wondering what could be so important that she couldn't wait until tomorrow, he nodded and led her to sit on the couch. For some reason, Kurenai seemed oddly nervous as she sat next to him. He stared at her expectantly, silently inviting her to start.

"Naruto, how do you feel about me?" Kurenai asked slowly.

"Eh?" he asked in confusion. _'What does she mean "how do I feel about her"?' _Naruto frowned for a moment, before coming to the only conclusion he could. _'Ah…so that's what this is about…strange…six months ago, this would have been exactly what I wanted. Now I can't help but feel a little disappointed.'_ "You don't have to do this you know." he said as he got up from the couch and stared at her.

"What do you mean, Naru-chan?" Kurenai asked in confusion, causing Naruto to sigh and shake his head.

"No one's making you come back here." he explained. "If you don't want to be around me anymore, then just don't. There's no need for this round about conversation."

"Wha-no!" Kurenai said quickly as she moved to kneel in front of him. "That's not what this is about at all! In fact, it's the complete opposite of that."

Blinking, Naruto thought about what she said for a moment before uncertainly asking, "You…want to move in with me?"

This time it was Kurenai's turn to blink before smiling gently. "Not exactly." the crimson-eyed Chunin took a deep breath before continuing. "Look Naruto. I really enjoy spending time with you, so much so that I can't imagine not seeing you anymore. You and Anko are like family to me. So I'd like to ask you something. It's a very big request on my part, so I want you to wait until I come back to make a decision. OK?"

He could only stare at her for moment before asking dryly, "You want me to agree to consider a major request that you haven't even asked yet?"

"I'm sorry." Kurenai said sheepishly. "I guess I'm a little nervous. What I'm trying to say is, I want you to move in with me. As a family."

…

…

"Naruto?" Kurenai asked worriedly.

For his part, Naruto was simply staring at her, seemingly devoid of emotion. She…wanted to adopt him? She might not have used that exact word, but he knew that was what she meant. Why? What could she possibly hope to gain from this? He vaguely took note of her calling his name, drawing him out of his thoughts long enough to say. "You should probably get going. You don't want to be late for your mission."

He watched with a sort of detached interest as Kurenai looked at him with a worried expression. "Go on. I'll think about it while you're gone." he promised as he gestured for her to leave. After a moment, she gave him one last smile and left, leaving him to his thoughts.

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at nothing as his thoughts raced back and forth. He felt a great surge of happiness and fulfillment that someone wanted him, that _Kurenai_ wanted him, that she saw him as someone worthy. But at the same time, he could still hear _their_ voices echoing in his head. _'We care about you and want to help you… you deserve a family and we would like to be the ones to give you one…'_

Naruto grabbed at his head, trying to shut out _their_ voices. _'Kurenai's not like them… she's different, she's never hurt me!' _

'_Yet…'_ a tiny voice made itself known.

'_No, no she's had plenty of chances to if she wanted. And she kept my secrets from the Old Man…' _Naruto argued to himself, unsure as to who he was trying to convince.

'_How do you know…she's a kunoichi of Konoha…she answers to the Old Man…how can you trust her…she's no different than Yoshino…'_

'_Yoshino?' _Naruto thought confusedly. _'Yoshino's my…friend… she wants to help me-'_

'_Does she?' _the other voice interrupted. _'You never met her until the Old Man brought her to you. You can't trust her…you can't trust anyone…'_

"Your wrong!" Naruto snarled angrily. "I can trust Yoshino! Yoshino is one of the nicest people I've ever met!"

'_Why? Because she hasn't tried to kill you yet?' _the voice pressed.

Naruto shook his head back and forth angrily. What was he doing? Why was he arguing with a voice in his head? He wasn't crazy, and even if he was, he didn't need the approval of some figment of his imagination.

Scoffing at his foolishness, he returned to his table to finish his seal. Once there, he grabbed his brush and dipped it in his fresh ink. He wasn't sure how long he sat there with his brush poised before realizing he'd just been sitting there lost in his thoughts. Growling at himself, he determinedly focused on his work and started inking the last few parts.

Ten minutes later, he again found himself just sitting there, staring at the table without even seeing it. Snarling in frustration, he abandoned his work and paced back and forth in his living room.

What should he tell Kurenai when she got back? Should he agree or refuse? How would she react to either response? What if he said yes and it turned out she didn't really want to adopt him, but asked expecting him to say no? Or what if she really did want to and he refused? How would she react to that? What if he drove her away by saying no? What if things changed between them because of his answer?

What if…what if it was a trap? Right on top of that thought came another one. What if she wasn't supposed to be here?

Every "baby-sitter" he'd ever had was introduced to him by the Old Man. Kurenai just showed up on her own, claiming to be his new "caretaker". Come to think of it, he'd never seen her and the Old Man here at the same time. Would Yoshino know?

Naruto froze for a moment as his thoughts raced, before scrubbing both hands through his hair and pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes.

"Where's Yoshino when you actually _want_ to talk about your feelings?" he muttered angrily as he starting pacing again only to freeze once more. _'Maybe…maybe I should go find her? She always did say I was welcome at her house…and it's her job to help me anyway, so it's not like she can complain.'_

Glad to have finally decided on something, Naruto quickly grabbed his things and left for the Nara compound. He walked five steps before realizing something. He didn't know where she lived.

Smacking his forehead, Naruto hurried back into his apartment and proceeded to tear it apart, looking for the directions Yoshino had made sure to leave for him, in case he ever "felt the need to talk". After tearing apart his room and kitchen, he finally found the sheet stuffed under the cushions of the couch. Looking it over quickly, Naruto once again left, throwing on his Henge and Genjutsu as usual. _'I've got to think up a name for that…' _he thought absently as he made way down the street, unaware of his -by now- very skilled and prepared ANBU watchers.

Following a number of wrong turns and violent curses, Naruto finally found himself standing outside a small, traditional looking compound on the edge of the forests. Walking in, he quickly headed for the largest house and knocked insistently on the paper door, dropping his disguises as he did so.

After pacing anxiously for a few seconds, he knocked even harder on the door, just barely holding back from slamming his fists on it.

He relaxed slightly when he heard a familiar "troublesome" before the door slid open. Expecting to see his other…friend… Naruto was surprised to find a scarred adult standing in front of him.

Glancing over him quickly, Naruto took note that the man was dressed in simple shinobi pants and a fishnet shirt of all things. He stood about five foot nine, and looked kind of like an older Shikamaru, possessing the same hair color and style. Naruto's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the two scars, one of which slanted across his right cheek in a manner similar to Naruto's. The second was roughly parallel to the other, only it was positioned above the man's right eye.

"Can I help you?" the man asked gruffly, not even bothering to stifle his yawn.

"I need to see Yoshino." Naruto said quickly.

"She's not here." the man replied just as bluntly.

"Where is she!" Naruto demanded while trying to resist tugging at his hair in frustration.

"Shopping probably. Is that a problem?" the man replied as he gazed at him in a calculating manner.

"Yes it is!" Naruto practically shouted. "What's the point of telling me I can talk to her if she's not around the one time I need to!"

"Well, she does have a life of her own you know. Did you ever think about that?" the man pointed out nonchalantly.

"But this is important!" Naruto snarled angrily. "Can't you call her back or something?"

"I could." the man admitted with another yawn. "But that would just be way too troublesome."

Naruto couldn't help it. Everything was coming at him all at once, and the pressure just kept building and building and he _needed_ to let it out somehow. So he threw back his head and screamed all of his anger and frustration and all of his other boiling emotions. When he finally ran out of breath, the man asked, "Feel better?"

For the first time in his life, Naruto seriously considered all the possible ways he could murder someone and get away with it.

Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, a familiar face came along before he could try anything.

"Tou-san, what's with all the screaming?" Shikamaru asked as he stepped up next to his apparent father. "Naruto? What are you doing here? This is like, the first time I've ever actually seen you outside your apartment."

"Shikamaru!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly -not desperately no matter what anyone claimed. "I need to talk to Yoshino, do you know where she is?"

"Eh? I think she went shopping again, though I can't see why you'd want to talk to that troublesome woman." Shikamaru answered lazily.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto said "Yes, I already _know_ that part. Do you know _where_ she is or how to get her back here?"

"Maybe, but that would just be way too troublesome." Shikamaru asked as he and his father actually _yawned in synch_.

'_I'm sure Yoshino wouldn't mind if I killed them. Besides, how would she know it was me? If I close my eyes, then that means there are no witnesses.'_ Naruto thought angrily as his hand twitched to his hidden kunai.

"I take it you know this boy, Shikamaru?" the scarred man asked curiously.

"Yeah, he's one of those crazy people Kaa-san works with, but we're not supposed to call him that." Shikamaru replied.

Twitching, Naruto wondered if it was possible to make someone swallow a shuriken.

"Well, no point just standing here all day." the man grumbled as he turned back into the house. "Shikamaru, take care of your friend."

"Fine." the smaller Nara drawled as he beckoned Naruto inside.

Grumbling under his breath, Naruto followed Shikamaru through the house and into what appeared to be a living room. It was a rather strange sight for him, since he'd never really been inside a traditional home before. There were some weird looking cushion things where chairs would normally be, situated around an incredibly short table. In fact, he was fairly certain he had yet to see an actual chair in the place. Not to mention the paper walls and sliding doors were certainly strange to him.

He was broken from his thoughts a moment later.

* * *

"Well, have a seat. We might as well get in some shogi while you wait." Shikamaru told his reclusive friend as he took his own seat.

Really, when he'd heard Naruto _screaming_ of all things at his front door, he'd thought he was dreaming. In the year that he had known the older boy, Shikamaru had _never_ seen him outside of his apartment. So it was with mild excitement that he had gone to see if Naruto really was at his doorstep. Which had in fact, turned out to be true, as he was greeted by an agitated Naruto who was desperately demanding to know where his Kaa-san was.

As his friend sat down and the game got under way, he noticed something. Naruto was distracted. He was constantly staring at nothing, or cocking his head to the side as if listening for something. Needless to say, the first game ended rather quickly. So did the second. By the third game, he could no longer ignore just how troublesome his friend was being. _'I wonder what's got him so worked up? I mean, he actually left his apartment. And he came here! I don't think he's ever come looking for Kaa-san in the last three years. So what changed? What could affect him this much?'_

Finally unable to keep his curiosity to himself, Shikamaru casually drawled, "So what's going on?"

Naruto jerked in surprise and stared at him for a moment before asking, "What are you talking about?"

Shikamaru sent him an irritated glare before clarifying. "Why do you need to see Kaa-san so bad? It must be pretty huge to get you to come all the way here."

"Why do you care? Looking to follow in your mommy's footsteps and be a counselor?" Naruto sneered, though Shikamaru could tell that his heart wasn't in it.

"No, but I am going to be a ninja, so I'll still work with a lot of crazy people." Shikamaru retorted with a yawn. "And I'm asking because your game sucks. More than usual I mean." He added that last barb in hoping to rile Naruto up a little, but instead of rising to the challenge the boy just stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face before turning his attention back to the game.

Sighing to himself, Shikamaru glumly stared at the board before making his own move. Not a second later, Naruto suddenly said, "Kurenai wants to adopt me."

Shikamaru blinked in surprise. "Oh. Well, that's…great?" he half said, half asked. Obviously Naruto felt otherwise, why else would he be here?

Naruto nodded once before saying, "At least, I think she does."

"…You think she does?" he asked incredulously. "Did she ask you?"

"Yeah." Naruto confirmed as he slowly rubbed a shogi piece back and forth between his fingers.

"Then why do you only _think_ she wants to?" he asked in confusion.

"It's…complicated." the older boy answered vaguely as he ran a hand through his hair.

'_Of course it is.' _Shikamaru thought in exasperation. "Ok…so what's the problem? Do you not want her to adopt you? Or is there something else?"

He was met by silence for a few minutes before Naruto tilted his head up and stared at the ceiling. After sighing, Naruto slowly asked. "What if I told you that the Sandaime Hokage wants me dead? What if I told you that the Anbu have watched me in the past, and that people have tried to kill me in the street?" Naruto said all of this in a coldly indifferent voice. Bringing his eyes down from the ceiling, the blond continued. "What would you say if I told you that?"

Shikamaru struggled to meet those suddenly cold, ancient eyes and bit down on his instinctive response of "I'd say that you were crazy" and instead seriously considered the question. Could those things be true? Sure, Naruto had those scars and something bad obviously happened to him in the past to make him...well...him. But how did it tie into the situation with Kurenai? Did Naruto think that she was an assassin? Or was he perhaps, trying to protect her? He just didn't know enough about the situation to come to a conclusion.

So instead, since Naruto opened up to him about his past -sort of- he decided that he should at least return the favor somewhat. "What would _you_ say, if I told you that while my Kaa-san was pregnant with me, my crazy Ojiisan secretly gave her experimental drugs to try and enhance my mental abilities?"

Naruto stared at him for moment before saying, "I'd say that all old people are fuckers. But, that does explain why you're so good at shogi."

Shikamaru snorted and they returned to the game for a few minutes.

"So why'd he do it?" Naruto asked after a moment.

Shikamaru shrugged. "Don't know for sure. I guess he thought he was helping me and giving the clan an advantage or something. You know, that whole "the clan comes first" thing that the older generations cling to."

"So what happened to him?" the blond asked curiously.

He didn't know if he should answer or not, but he did so anyway. "Officially, he died in his sleep…but I'm pretty sure that Tou-san killed him when he found out about the drugs."

"Yeah, that sounds more likely." Naruto agreed before drifting into silence again.

After losing a few more games, his blond-haired friend stood up. "Sorry, I don't really feel like hanging out today. Maybe we can play again later." the older boy sighed and began to make his way from the room.

Shikamaru watched him leave before following after him, catching him just as he stepped outside. "Naruto!" he called bringing the boy to a halt in the doorway. "I don't really know Kurenai as well as you do…but I think you can trust her."

Naruto didn't say anything or even turn to look at him as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Unable to just sit and wait at the Nara's, Naruto decided to return to his apartment, hoping to either come across Yoshino on the way, or at least to keep his mind off things until she showed up. Maybe he should go see the Ichiraku's? No, he wouldn't be able to eat anything even if he did. And he'd be damned if he asked Ayame for help with anything!

Unfortunately, he did not run into Yoshino on his way back. Glaring around at his mess of an apartment, Naruto went about cleaning up the mess he had made while looking for Yoshino's directions. Once again, he was disappointed when Yoshino didn't show up during this time.

Sighing, Naruto could once again feel his mind start to drift back to the bombshell Kurenai dropped on him. Shaking his head, he decided to try to work on his seal once more. Key term being tried.

He was able to finish the seal, however if he hadn't been so distracted he might have noticed several slight smudges before testing it. When he activated it, he instantly knew something was wrong. The seals glowed an eerie red and the table shook violently for a moment. _'What the-' _was as far as he could think before what felt like a great burst of wind blew around him.

The table didn't so much explode per say, seeing as how there was no fire or loud noise. It would be more accurate to say that the table _disintegrated_ from the inside out, sending shards and chunks of wood flying around the room.

Blinking in shock, Naruto glanced around the kitchen before his eyes landed on six-inch shard sticking out of the wall just inches from the side of his head. _'Holy shit…that could have killed me!'_ he thought in horror as he shakily stood and approached the still quivering piece of wood.

Reaching up, he cautiously grabbed the shard to stop its vibrating. Looking back around, Naruto stared at the remains of his table detachedly. About half of the table remained where it had once stood, while the other half was scattered around in broken shards and in some circumstances, pinned in the walls.

'_Oh shit…I blew up my table…I blew up my table!' _he thought in a growing panic. What was he going to do? He couldn't explain away why his table exploded. And when Genma found out, he'd stop teaching him about seals. Not to mention those punishments for seal experimenting.

'_Calm down! Just calm down! I can fix this, I can! All I need to do is get rid of the pieces, cover up the holes and buy a new table. But I have to hurry; someone might show up at any second.' _Naruto told himself. The first thing he did was pick up the remains of the table from the floor and hurriedly threw it out before returning for the rest.

Walking up to the shard that almost killed him, he gripped the shard with both hands. The shard wiggled slightly, but otherwise didn't budge.

Feeling his panic return, Naruto placed one foot on the wall for leverage and tried again. This time, the shard moved several inches…but showed signs that a part of the wall would come with it. _'Don't break, don't break, please don't break…' _Naruto chanted to himself as he put all of his might into pulling. With a groan, a head sized section of the wall tore free, throwing Naruto onto the floor and knocking the wind out of him.

Staring at the hole in horror, Naruto quickly tried to reassure himself that everything was still ok. He could still cover up the hole with a poster or something, and no one would ever need to know the difference. Staggering to his feet, Naruto made to turn to the next shard, only to catch something out of the corner of his eye. Looking back at the new hole in his wall, Naruto tried to figure out what had caught his attention.

When he didn't see anything, he moved in closer to get a better look. It was dark in the hole, so he couldn't be sure but he thought he saw…was that a seal?

Getting a flashlight from a drawer, Naruto turned to the hole once again. _'Huh… what do you know… it _is_ a seal.' _he thought in wonder. But what kind of seal was it and what was it doing in his wall? Whatever it was, it wasn't anything Genma had shown him. Was it some kind of reinforcement seal to make the building stronger? Or maybe some kind of sound proofing seal so that the noise from the neighboring apartments wouldn't filter through? That would explain why it was in the wall.

Looking closer, Naruto started to feel that familiar excitement that came whenever he was studying seals with Genma. If he could figure out what this seal did and how it worked, then maybe he could impress Genma enough to get him to teach him more advanced seals.

Grinning, Naruto abandoned the clean up and quickly started to jot down what he could see of the seal onto a blank scroll. When that was done, he still couldn't figure out what it did, so he retrieved one of his kunai and started hacking at the wall to expose more of it.

Once that was done, he finished writing the rest of it down. After a moment, his grin faded as he stared at the strange seal. It didn't look like a reinforcement or a filter seal. So what did it do? He could recognize a part of the seal that detected something, and another part that measured whatever that something was. Then there was a part that kind of looked like his "remote" seal…

Naruto felt his heart stop cold as a terrible thought took hold. This seal…it kind of looked like some of the theories on "security" seals that Genma taught him. But what would one of those seals be doing in his wall? After all, the Old Man had said that no one had lived here in a long ti-

"No…no, no, no, that's not possible…" Naruto muttered in horror as his eyes darted around the walls of his apartment. "No, it's just a fluke, just something the last guy that lived here did, it doesn't mean anything…"

Grabbing his kunai, Naruto ran to another shard in his wall, and using the kunai began digging it out. Once it was free, he grabbed the flashlight and shined it into the hole. Nothing. Running to the next shard, Naruto repeated the process again and again, always with the same results, until only one shard remained.

By this time, he had mostly calmed down and convinced himself that it _was_ a fluke. The Old Man probably didn't even know the seal was there either. After all-

There. Right on the very edge of the hole, he probably wouldn't have even seen it if he wasn't looking for it. Hacking up and away from the hole, he slowly exposed another seal. Only this one was different. Parts of it were similar to the other one, while the rest was something completely different.

'_No…no…no, no, nononononono! This can't be!' _his mind raced as he wildly took his kunai to the walls of the living room, uncaring of the damage he did to both himself and the apartment.

Slowly, over the course of two hours, Naruto exposed a seemingly vast array of seals that covered his apartment. They were in the walls, under the floorboards, around the door, even in the ceiling!

He had been a rat in a cage for the last three years and he didn't even realize it. '_Oh God…what does the Old Man know? Has he just been toying with me this entire time? Was…was Yoshino in on it? …Was Kurenai?' _These thoughts and more ran through his head as he collected his weapons, money, and scrolls as he prepared to abandon Konoha. He didn't have a clue where he would go, but he couldn't stay here. There would be no way to hide that he had found the seals, and now that he knew that the Old Man probably knew all his secrets, he couldn't take the risk of staying. But he would come back. He'd come back and find his answers and then he'd deal with the Old Man and Kurenai…

'_Wait a minute… Kurenai…why would they move me from one cage to another? Why go through the trouble of sealing Kurenai's apartment and get her close to me when they already had me right where they wanted me? Maybe…maybe she doesn't know? Maybe she doesn't know about any of this…_' Thinking frantically, Naruto came to a decision. It was crazy, it was dangerous and stupid, but he had to know. Was it all a lie? She wanted his answer by tomorrow, so that meant that her apartment would have to already be sealed today. So he would go check. If her apartment was sealed, then she was in on it and he'd make her pay for her betrayal. But if she wasn't then maybe, just maybe, he could still trust her.

Oh, he knew he wasn't being even remotely rational. The rational thing to do would be to just bug out and call it even. To forget about finding his answers, and about Kurenai, and Yoshino, and Shikamaru. But he just couldn't. He _needed_ to know. It was his sole driving force, and the only way he'd ever have peace.

So he made his way towards Kurenai's apartment, using the dango place that Anko loved as a reference point. Once there, he made his way up to Kurenai's apartment, only to find an obstacle that he didn't expect. The door was locked.

Hearing the sounds of a hammer, he walked around the corner of the hallway and saw an open door. Looking in, he saw a small group of men working away. Having an idea, Naruto returned back to Kurenai's door.

Glancing around and seeing no one, he drew his kunai, tried to time it to the hammering down the hall, and began hacking at the wood around the doorknob. Pausing after the first few strikes, he listened for the sounds of anyone approaching. When he heard nothing, he hacked at the door a few more times before pausing again. Still nothing. He continued this process again and again, halting only a few times when somebody approached or left.

After close to thirty minutes, he finally weakened the wood enough to wiggle the doorknob free and let himself into the apartment, trying to replace the doorknob as best as he could.

Looking over Kurenai's apartment for the first time, he tried to find any signs as to where any seals might be hidden. Tearing apart his own apartment had been pretty tiring and he had torn his hands up pretty bad as well. He had patched his hands up as best as he could, and had put on some gloves when breaking into Kurenai's apartment, but he still didn't want to drag this out any longer than necessary. _'If I was hiding a bunch of seals, where would I put them?'_ Naruto thought to himself as he gazed over Kurenai's apartment.

Despite only being one room bigger than his own, the layout of Kurenai's apartment was completely different from his, so he couldn't really guess where any seals might be hidden. _'Then again, I don't really need to find them _all_. Just one will prove that she's…' _Shaking his head, Naruto decided to start with the living room and got to work hacking away at the walls.

* * *

Kurenai sighed as the first few raindrops began to fall just as Konoha's walls came into view. She had been pleasantly surprised when her team's mission had turned out to be far simpler than expected, allowing them to return to the village on the same day they left so long as they hurried.

During much of the return trip, she had allowed her mind to wander to Naruto and his reaction to what she said that morning. There was no doubt that she had surprised him, especially when he reacted the way he did. The problem was, she didn't know how well he had taken it. He could be a very difficult child to predict under the best of circumstances, and she'd only had a few short moments after asking before she had to leave.

Now she couldn't decide what she should do when she got back. Should she go see him when she got back? Or should she wait until tomorrow like she'd originally planned? What could she say to convince him if it was necessary?

Once they were back in the village, she vaguely acknowledged her team leader when he dismissed them and made her was back to her apartment, hoping that a hot shower and a nice cup of tea would help clear her mind.

She arrived at her apartment building without incident, and made it all the way to her door when she first noticed something was wrong. The wood around her doorknob had been hacked away and half-heartedly covered up.

Glancing around, she sidled up next to her door and drew a kunai with one hand and a flash tag with another. She didn't know who would want to break into her apartment and wait for her, but if the situation turned out to be more than she could handle, she'd use the flash tag to draw attention and hopefully, get herself some back up. Carefully nudging the door open, she was surprised to find that while her furniture had been thrown around, they were more or less undamaged.

Her walls and floor on the other hand, had been torn apart by someone, though she didn't have a clue as to what they were looking for. Checking for any signs of traps, Kurenai slowly and carefully made her way in, trying to avoid disturbing anything, or making any noise.

She had barely entered the apartment when she heard it.

_Thunk_

…

_Thunk_

…

_Thunk_

…

…

_Thunk._

Freezing, she tried to place the sound and where it was coming from. If she didn't know better, she'd say it was the sound of a kunai hitting a training post. Frowning, she pinpointed the sound as coming from her bedroom and cautiously made her way over to the door.

Leaning against the wall by the door, she tightened her grip on her kunai and slowly moved her head just enough to see into the room. What she saw shocked her. Her room had suffered the same fate as the rest of the apartment, though that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the small blond topped ball huddled against one wall, one arm holding his knees to his chest, while the other arm brokenly raised a bloody kunai and stabbed it against the floor beside him again and again.

For a moment, Kurenai just stared at him, distantly thankful for his face being buried in his knees so he didn't notice her.

What on earth was going on? Did he tear her apartment up? And if so, then why? Was it because of what she did? Did she drop too much on him too soon with her adoption plan? Did she push him over the edge somehow? All of this and more was rushing through her head as her eyes locked on Naruto's hands, taking in the tattered gloves he wore and the blood that was easily noticeable on both hands.

"Naruto!" she gasped in horror as the blood fully registered in her mind. Dropping her own weapons, she rushed forward and knelt before the blond child who had become so important to her. Reaching out quickly but gently, she grabbed his kunai hand to halt its repetitive assault on the floor and carefully took the weapon from him and pulled the tattered glove off his hand. "What happened?" she continued as she took in the sight of his hand, half-heartedly wrapped in makeshift bandages. Grabbing his other hand, she repeated the process and was met by more bandages. Slowly unwrapping them, she took in the damage.

His hands were covered in cuts, bruises, and splinters of wood in varying degrees. Glancing at him, she saw that his head was still pressed against his knees and gently shook his shoulder. "Naruto? Can you hear me?" she asked worriedly, unsettled at the boy's unusual passiveness.

This time he slowly raised his head and met her eyes with his blue eyes that seemed evener darker and cloudier than normal. "Kurenai…" he said with an unrecognizable emotion in his voice. "There are no seals…I looked everywhere…" he trailed off as his eyes drifted to the side in thought.

'_Seals? What's he talking about?'_ she wondered as she gently rewrapped his hands with clean bandages from her kunai pouch. "What's going on, Naruto?" she asked instead.

He continued as if he hadn't even heard her. "All this time…the seals…did…did you know? Did Yoshino? And why…why can't I find them now?"

Kurenai's mind froze up in fright for a moment. _'Surely he couldn't be talking about_ that_ seal! How did he find out about it? How did he even find out what it meant?'_ But then, why would he tear apart her apartment if he knew…unless he didn't.

"_I assure you Kurenai, that apartment is one of the safest places in this village." _The Sandaime's voice echoed in her head.

'_Of course!'_ she thought to herself, feeling the urge to slap a hand to her forehead. _'He must have found the Sandaime's seals somehow!'_ "Naruto," she began slowly, unsure of the boy's mental state. "Why would you think there were seals in my apartment?"

The boy slowly brought his eyes back to hers and half stated, half asked, "You work for the Old Man?" as if that answered everything.

Masking her frustration at Naruto's roundabout answers, Kurenai said, "Of course I work for the Hokage. I am a ninja after all. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"He told you to watch me…he told you to adopt me…" Naruto trailed off as his eyes drifted away again.

"No! That's not true at all!" Kurenai said a little more heatedly than she meant to. "_I_ asked _him_ if I could watch you, and whether or not I adopt you is no one's business but mine and yours! I don't care if anyone else has a problem with it, so long as it's what you want!"

When Naruto turned his eyes to hers this time, they were a little less clouded, a little lighter than before. "Why?" was all he asked, yet that simply question brought her mind to a dead stop.

Despite being far more intelligent and, if she was honest with herself, jaded then other children his age, Naruto was still a child. How could she explain that she had come to love him as if he were her own son? That she felt a great surge of pride every time he mastered a subject on his own, or made a breakthrough in his Fuuinjutsu studies. That she couldn't stand the thought of him being so alone or that some nights she would find herself lying in bed, worrying about his future? How could she put all of that and more into words that he'd not only understand, but accept?

In the end all she could think to say was, "I love you." the words seemed to echo in the stillness of the apartment as the two stared at eachother.

Almost immediately, Naruto's eyes began to fill with disbelief and disgust, yet she pressed on. "No matter what anyone else says or thinks, no matter what you choose to do with your life, even if you come to hate me, I will always love you, and I'll always be proud to call you my son."

For a moment, there was only silence before Naruto spoke again. "If you love me so much, then why didn't you tell me about the seals?"

'_Oh boy…' _Kurenai thought to herself. That would be a tough question to answer without breaking the Sandaime's law…or his trust for that matter. Deciding to keep her answer as simple as possible, she responded with a question of her own. "If I had told you, would you have stayed in the apartment?"

Rather than answer her, Naruto narrowed his eyes and bared his teeth slightly, prompting her to continue. "Of course you wouldn't have. And that's exactly the reason why I didn't tell you. As long as you were in that apartment, you were safe. I'm not sure what you think those seals do, but they're there for your protection." When Naruto didn't say anything, she took it as a sign to continue with her explanation as to the seals purposes.

Kurenai was careful to avoid mentioning any forbidden topics, such as why Naruto warranted such precautions, throughout her explanation, though she still felt a small surge of panic when Naruto finally spoke again.

"And just why exactly, would the Old Man go to so much trouble to "protect" me?" Naruto asked vehemently.

"Because, despite what you think, Hokage-sama cares about you. Did you know that he keeps a picture of you and him from when you were very young in his desk? He always speaks fondly of you, and he's always been determined to protect you." Kurenai answered. And it was the truth to, if not the whole truth.

Yet when Naruto still didn't look convinced, she found herself speaking again, surprising both of them. "If you don't believe me, if you really think that you can't stay here, then let's leave." That certainly got his attention. Even she didn't know where this was coming from, as she'd never considered abandoning Konoha before yet her mouth just kept moving. "We can run away and live our lives in peace in another village, or another country even. If you can't be happy here then let's go where you can be!"

* * *

Naruto stared at her in complete and utter shock. Was Kurenai really suggesting what he thought she was? Abandon Konoha together? But…she's a ninja! Why would she be willing to become a missing-nin for him? Was this some kind of trick? "Why?" he asked in angry confusion. "Why would you do something like that? What about your friends and teammates? Don't they need you? How can you just leave them behind like that?"

The crimson-eyed woman just smiled and said just six words. "Because my son needs me more."

He stared at her as her words echoed through his mind. All his life, people had been pressuring him to do something, in some cases even choosing for him. The Old Man had decided that he would be adopted by the Sanadas. It was also the Old Man who decided where he would live afterwards, and that he needed a "counselor" and even who that counselor would be. The only child he ever spent any time with was decided by Yoshino, pressured by Yoshino. The closest he'd ever came to making his own decisions had been when he turned down the academy, and despite that, he couldn't help but feel that the Old Man was still trying to pressure him into it with all the shinobi in his life.

And now, this woman…this woman had offered him more choices in the last twenty-four hours than anyone else had in his entire life. She let him decide whether or not they'd become a family, and now she says she'll let him decide whether or not they even continue to live in Konoha. Who was this crimson-eyed woman, with her gentle smiles and calm laughter? Why is she doing this!

He couldn't breath, this room was too small, he was **suffocating**! He had to get out, he had to **get out**! Gasping as if he had just run a marathon, Naruto pushed past Kurenai and half ran, half stumbled out of her apartment, ignoring Kurenai's frightened "Naruto!" as he tried desperately to get outside.

Crashing through the doors and out into the pouring rain, he stumbled down the short steps and collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in agony as he desperately tried to still his mind. _'Why…why why why whywhy __**why**__!'_ "**Why!**" he screamed to the uncaring sky as he slammed his fist into the muddy ground.

Suddenly _their_ voices returned with a vengeance. _'What's the matter, Naruto-chan?' __**her **_voice asked. _'Did one of those bullies say something to you again?' _came _**his **_voice, causing Naruto to flinch_. 'It's alright…it's alright because we still love you.'_ _**he **_continued drawing an angry growl from Naruto._ 'That's right, we love you more than anything.' __**she **_added_. _Squeezing his eyes shut Naruto screamed again, smashing his already damaged hand into the street, shattering several bones and leaving a rather impressive dent for a child. _'You're human, no different from anyone else.' __**she **_murmured, seeming to come from right in front of him, causing Naruto to look up fearfully only to find nothing.

He looked back to the ground with a broken sob. He could see in his mind as clearly, as if it was happening right in front of him when _**she**_ reached out only to pause before ruffling his hair. _'It's okay…I'm not the slightest bit afraid of you.'_

'_No…you really were afraid of me weren't you?' _Naruto thought as he finally realized something. _'That's why one of you was always checking on me, dozens of times a day, making sure you knew exactly where I was at all times.'_

'_Naruto-chan, we're so proud of you…' they_ echoed together.

'_Then why wouldn't you ever let me go anywhere?' _he countered sadly.

'_You're so precious, we want to keep you all to ourselves…' __**she **_answered.

'_You were _ashamed_ of me!' _Naruto accused _them _hotly.

'_That's not true…we love you…we love you so much, we would die for you!'_

'_Why is that all you ever said!' _he mentally shouted. _'You never cared about me, you were just saying the things you thought grandparents were _supposed_ to say!'_

The Old Man's voice chose that moment to intervene. _'Your grandparents loved you more than anything else in the worl-'_

"Stop it!" Naruto screamed as he clutched his head with both hands. And they did, allowing him to finally notice the woman standing behind him. Spinning around on his heels, he stared up at Kurenai, vaguely noticing that she had discarded all of her ninja gear. He wondered why everything was shaking so much as she slowly got down on her knees in front of him.

He stared at her, wanting to run, to hit her, to make her and everything else just go away and leave him alone. Instead, he found him doing two things that he hadn't done in three long years. First, he initiated a hug, lunging forward to bury his face in her lap and wrapping his arms around her waist as if she was the only thing keeping him alive. The second was even more important.

He cried. He wept so hard that it seemed as if three years of tears were pouring out all at once.

* * *

Kurenai felt her heart breaking as she watched the boy she thought of as son struggle with his demons, screaming at the sky and battering his hand on the ground. She felt completely useless, unable to help Naruto when he needed her the most. All she could do was make sure the Anbu didn't panic and that no one tried to take advantage of the blond boy.

Slowly walking towards him, Naruto finally seemed to take note of her presence as he spun around to face her. She stared into his eyes as a myriad of emotions ran across them too fast for even her to be able to make sense of. Kneeling down in front of him, she tried desperately to think of something she could say or do to help him, only to be surprised when he lunged forward and wrapped her in as tight a hug as his small body could possibly make. And then she felt the tears begin to soak her lap as the boy wept piteously.

"I wanna go home…I wanna go home…I-I don't know what to do." he sobbed out as his body shook with the power of his rampaging emotions. "I wanna…I wanna…" he couldn't finish his sentence as his sobbing became even more powerful.

Kurenai smiled sadly, as she bent her body over to give him some shelter from the rain, wrapping her own arms around his quivering body and gently stroking his hair. She whispered soothing words to him as her own tears slowly ran down her face, content to just hold her baby boy and comfort him.

Slowly, the rain lessened to a drizzle before tapering off all together. As if it was a signal, Naruto's crying slowly came to a halt as well, as the emotionally drained boy drifted off to sleep.

Wiping her own tears away, she carefully dislodged the boy and picked him up, allowing his arms to instinctively wrap around her neck and bury his face into her neck.

As she stood, she considered her options. She couldn't really take him back into her apartment due to its current state, and his apartment was probably no better. This left her three options. She could go to the Hokage, to Anko's, or to the Nara compound. The Hokage was out for obvious reasons, and Anko's place was hardly a place to take a child. _'The Nara's it is.' _she thought to herself with a smile as she turned and carried her angel down the street.

Yoshino was quite panicked when they showed up soaking wet at her front door, and quickly ushered them in to a guest room where the two of them were able to dry off the still slumbering boy, dress him in some pajamas that Yoshino was able to round up and tuck him into the bed. Once that was accomplished, Kurenai gave both Yoshino and the Anbu member who showed up demanding an explanation a report, before borrowing some pajamas for herself and climbed into bed with the blond boy. She smiled happily when the boy unconsciously snuggled up to her and gripped the front of her clothes in a possessive hold as she wrapped her arms around him and watched him sleep.

She would lay there for hours, just watching him sleep, knowing full well that their lives were about to change. That they already had changed. Eventually, Kurenai kissed him on the forehead and allowed herself to drift off to sleep, snuggled up to the little boy who had become so important to her.

* * *

**Translations:**

Kaa-san=Mom

Tou-san=Dad

* * *

There we go, after over a month of work I finally got it out. You'll be happy to know that we're finally getting to the the more action oriented part of the story. It's been a great ride so far despite all my little setbacks. As always, any and all criticisms, reviews, suggestions, etc are welcome.


	15. Chapter 15

Words-100655, Chapters-16, Reviews-428, Hits-153,956, C2-93, Favs-661, Alerts-839

* * *

**AN: **Special thanks to Simonmountney for proofing this one, and to Inarealpickle for saving part of the original. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter fifteen of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

This will be AU (obviously) and Naruto will be two years older than Canon. Which means that the Kyuubi attack will be two years earlier.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Dawn crept slowly over the village of Konoha. As darkness gave way to light, the guards at the gate and around the walls breathed a little easier. In the early morning illumination, the village began to awaken, as its streets became host to a variety of people. Traffic increased at the gate as ninja began heading out on or returning from missions. Others prepared themselves for an early training session, or to relieve ninja coming off of the previous night's shift. Shop owners and merchants exited their snug homes, intent on opening their stores or stalls.

As the sun rose still higher, the streets became more crowded with villagers venturing out into the late morning sunshine. Children laughed and played in the streets, running between the legs of the adults, completely innocent and carefree. Tiny voices begged and pleaded with family members for treats or toys. Others demanded that older siblings play with them. Still others whined for ninja training.

In one apartment, the sun poured in and slowly pooled across a single bed. A moment later, the mound of blankets shifted as a young blond futilely shifted in an attempt to escape the dreaded light. With a growl, he gave up and stared at the ceiling. "My life sucks." he sighed grumpily as he pulled himself out of the bed. Really, he _never_ had this problem when he slept _under_ the bed.

That had been the first argument of many between Kurenai and him. Naruto didn't understand why she had such a problem with him being cautious, but every time she found him under the bed, she'd look at him with these sad, hurt eyes that made his stomach twist uncomfortably. It was made even worse whenever she found him already asleep. Waking up with her under the bed and snuggled up to him was a startling and painful experience, mainly when he tried to jump up in surprise and hit his head on the bed.

Another of their arguments revolved around ramen. More specifically, she had the utter gall, the audacity, to try to tell him not to eat the delicious food more than once a week! Not that he actually listened to her, but that was beside the point.

Then there was the turning point in their relationship, when Naruto uncomfortably realized just how attached he was growing to her.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto scowled angrily as he stared at the door from the living room couch. The reason for his anger was Kurenai, or more specifically, her absence. This wasn't the first time Kurenai had been gone for days at a time on a mission. However, there was one thing about this time that was different.

Kurenai had said the mission would only last until five o'clock Friday night. It was now one in the morning on Sunday. Not that he was worried about her or anything. He was just mad that he had to put up with Anko the last few days. That's all.

Yawning tiredly, Naruto rubbed at his eyes in exhaustion. When he opened them again, he was surprised to find that the hand on the clock had moved several hours in the second his eyes had been closed. _'Well, I guess it's to be expected.'_ Naruto thought to himself. _'I never sleep well when Kurenai is on missions.' _

Blinking at that thought, Naruto frowned before tilting his head at the sound of a set of tired footsteps approaching the door. He recognized that sound, tired though it may be. Fixing his glare back in place, Naruto waited, growing more and more angry as they drew closer.

He wasn't disappointed when the door swung open to reveal an exhausted looking Kurenai stumbling in. She didn't seem to even notice him sitting there as she kicked off her sandals. That just wouldn't do.

"Where the Hell have you been?" Naruto questioned darkly.

"Naru-chan?" Kurenai blinked in surprise.

"Don't you Naru-chan me!" He growled as he leapt to his feet and stomped up to her. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he spat as he stared up at her with his arms crossed.

His mood was not improved when Kurenai made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Though if he realized that he was acting like an overprotective father to a woman nearly three times his age, Naruto might have found the situation pretty funny himself.

"I'm sorry for making you stay up worrying about me, Naru-chan." she said with a smile that seemed only half-apologetic and half-something else.

"I wasn't worried." he ground out through clenched teeth. "And I wasn't staying up for you! I just couldn't sleep!" Of course, as is the nature of the universe, this would be the exact moment when Naruto was struck by an unstoppable urge to yawn.

"I think it's about time for both of us to go to bed." Kurenai said as she gently herded him in the direction of his room. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."

"I don't need to be tucked in." Naruto muttered tiredly. He couldn't understand why, but all the anger he'd had started trickling away -despite his best efforts- the moment she walked in, leaving him feeling incredibly exhausted.

Blinking, he was surprised to find himself climbing into his bed, unable to put up more than a token resistance when Kurenai made a rather futile attempt to smooth his hair and laid a kiss on his forehead. "Good night, Naru-chan." Kurenai murmured before pulling away and leaving the room.

It was somewhere in that bleary state between sleep and wakefulness that a strangely chilling thought struck him. '_What if… what if Kurenai wasn't really there?' _It wouldn't be the first time his lack of sleep had caused Naruto to see things, nor would it be the first time he had nodded off and mistaken a dream for reality.

Frowning, Naruto crawled out from his bed and returned to the living room. Glancing around the darkened room, his frown deepened. _'Did I turn the lights on?' _he asked himself as he looked around for, and failed to find, Kurenai's sandals. He had never noticed while living on his own, but as Kurenai had pointed out after he startled her one night shortly after moving in, he apparently had an amazing degree of night vision.

According to her, his eyes almost glowed at night, reflecting light in a manner eerily similar to a cat, or some other nocturnal creature.

Naturally, Naruto didn't really understand the significance of that. How he saw at night was how he saw at night. That's all there was to it as far as he was concerned.

So it was a common occurrence that he wouldn't bother turning on the lights, except for on the darkest of nights. _'But I did turn the lights on, right?'_ He questioned himself._ 'Or was that last night?' _

Unable to remember and seeing no signs of Kurenai's presence there, Naruto left the living room and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.

When he reached it, Naruto cautiously poked his head inside, scanning the bed for Kurenai's form. He let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw Kurenai's familiar shape beneath the blankets of her bed. Turning to leave, he was struck by another thought. _'What if I m dreaming now?' _Frowning, Naruto slowly made his way to the bed and gently prodded her sleeping form. When she didn't burst into bubbles or anything like that, Naruto was reassured that she was in fact, real.

'_She must be really tired if she didn't wake up.' _He thought to himself as he again attempted to leave the room. And once again, he found himself unable to move through the doorframe.

Grumbling, he turned once again and scowled across the room. For some reason, he just couldn't seem to make himself leave the room. This left him with a bit of a problem, seeing how tired he was.

Quietly marching up to Kurenai's bed, he stared down at her in annoyance. "This is all your fault you know." he muttered to her. Glancing around as if someone might be watching, he justified to himself. _'She's probably cold anyway; it _does _get cold in here at night. And she does always say I can sleep in here… and I can always wake up before her and sneak out. No one needs to know.'_

Satisfied with his excus- reasoning, Naruto carefully climbed into the bed, yawning as he did so. He was so tired, he didn't even notice when he curled up against her and grabbed a couple of fistfuls of her nightshirt.

When he woke the next morning, he was horrified to learn that he had slept far longer than he meant to. Rolling over as quickly as he dared, he let out a sigh of relief to see that Kurenai was still sleeping. Still silently cursing himself, Naruto quickly slipped out of the bed and made his way out of the room, unaware of the single red eye that watched him make his retreat, or the smile on Kurenai's lips.

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

That night was the first night that Naruto realized that he was changing. And what's worse, he couldn't decide whether he liked it or not.

Shaking his head, Naruto made his way over to his dresser and pulled out his "training" clothes as Anko liked to call them. He of coursed had a different name for them. Where Anko called what they did training, Naruto called it "Anko gets to beat the shit of him without Kurenai getting as angry as usual".

The clothing consisted of a pair of dark shinobi pants, a long-sleeve fishnet shirt, and a dark short-sleeved training shirt with a square portion cut out of the front.

As he dressed, his eyes glanced at a calendar hanging on the wall, or more specifically, the date circled in red with large letters saying ACADEMY STARTS.

Naruto grimaced as he remembered what would happen in less than a week. Oh, he had always known that there was only so far he could take his skills on his own, but he had always told himself that he would decide what to do later on, that he had plenty of time to find a solution. Then, lo and behold, he suddenly found himself with little to no options, as well as a new concern.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto made it a point to grumble in discontent as he followed Kurenai through the trees toward their destination.

Kurenai was on her way to spar with Anko, and she had decided to drag him along, stating that he needed more sun. He of course, had tried to point out that the sun was up practically everyday, so there was no way he needed any more of it.

Needless to say, Kurenai managed to get her way and here he was, following her through the trees. Not that he stopped letting her know just how he felt about this.

"This is stupid." he grumbled as they neared their destination, signaled by the form of a grinning Anko bouncing lightly on her toes. "Why can't I just go get some ramen while you spar with Anko?" Naruto asked grumpily.

"Quit whining, Brat." Anko called with a smirk. "You should be grateful to be able to spend time in the presence of the great and sexy, Anko-sama!" she proclaimed with a fist thrust into the air.

Naruto just sent an irritated look her way before turning back to Kurenai. "This is stupid. Why can't I just go get some ramen?" he repeated.

"Hey! Don't ignore me, you little Brat!" Anko yelled as she shook an angry fist at him. Which of course, is exactly what he did. Or at least, he tried to, until Anko started hurling dango sticks at him.

"Hey! Stop that, you brain-dead Dango-Freak! I said stop!" Naruto shouted as he frantically tried to dodge the tiny skewers.

"Stop calling my breasts small!" Anko shrieked as she increased the rate of her throws.

"Damn it!" Naruto growled angrily as he ran through the storm of skewers at her. "Why do you keep saying that! I never say anything like that, you stupid bitch!"

Once he was within ten feet from her, the hail of skewers stopped, though this was likely based more on Anko running out of them than deciding to be reasonable. Panting heavily, Naruto stared at her intently, determined not to be caught off guard.

He felt a terrible sense of foreboding as Anko's face suddenly split into a large grin. "Ramen is the worst food ever." she drawled deviously.

Naruto could only stare at her in horrified shock. "Take that back." he demanded quietly.

"Or else what?" Anko asked in a singsong voice.

"Take it back!" he roared as he threw himself at her in anger.

"Never!" she cackled maniacally as she threw herself forward as well.

…

A few minutes later saw a ruffled, scowling Naruto kneeling next to a much less ruffled, grinning Anko. In front of them stood an upset Kurenai scolding them. Not that they paid much attention to her.

"Ha! I sure kicked your ass, Gaki!" Anko crowed mockingly as she poked the side of his head.

"What fight were you watching?" Naruto snorted as he batted away her arm. "You're just lucky that Kurenai pulled me off you before I did something _you'd_ regret!"

"You want to go again, you little Ramen-bastard?" she growled semi-mockingly, semi-dangerously.

"Bring it, Dango-bitch!" he growled right back, even as he gathered his feet under him in preparation of leaping at her. A moment later, he collapsed back to his knees as a seemingly blinding pain erupted from the side of his head.

"Shit!" he cursed in pain. "Let go!" he demanded as he tried to pry Kurenai's hand from his ear. His only consolation about the embarrassing situation was that Anko was reacting far more childishly than he was.

"Owowowowow!" Anko exclaimed as she waved her arms around frantically. "Let go, let go, let go!" she whined, her flailing arms somehow missing Kurenai entirely.

"Honestly you two." Kurenai sighed in exasperation, even as she held onto their ears. "Do you have to fight all the time?"

"He/She started it!" Anko/Naruto whined/most certainly did not whine.

When Kurenai released his ear, Naruto couldn't stop the sigh of relief that came even as she dragged Anko out into the center of the training field. He missed whatever Kurenai said to Anko as she settled into a fighting stance, but he could easily pick up Anko's boisterous retort. "Ha! I hope you're ready to get that pretty little ass of your's kicked!"

He of course, decided to let his opinion on such a foolish statement known. "Yeah right." he drawled loudly. "Kurenai's unbeatable." Naruto couldn't see her face, so he missed Kurenai's loving smile. He could, however, see Anko's eye twitching.

"Oh yeah? Just watch you little Brat!" she shouted even as she settled into a stance of her own.

Naruto grinned smugly as he made himself comfortable, fully intending to enjoy watching Anko lose. A moment later, the two kunoichi leapt at each other. Then his mouth dropped open in shock.

When he thought about ninja fighting, he saw a scene from that movie he saw when he was younger. That is to say, easily noticeable attacks interspersed with monologues until the hero found the strength of will to succeed, or the bad guy realized the errors of his ways.

Obviously, the movie had been fake, but he had assumed that it was fake in how much the fighters talked. And if there was one thing the two kunoichi weren't doing, it was talking. That's where his expectations were blown away.

Saying that the two women were blurs would be entirely inaccurate. After all, "blurs" implied that he could still see their forms if nothing else. No, to Naruto's untrained eyes, the two simply vanished.

Just as he began to wonder if they had left him, they briefly reappeared with the sound of flesh meeting flesh.

He blinked in surprise and they were gone again. "What the…?" Naruto muttered as he thought about what he saw in that split second before he blinked.

Anko had been up on one foot, her body canted to the side so she could stare at her other foot, which was "resting" against one of Kurenai's forearms and the opposite hand, just inches from her neck.

No sooner had his mind registered what his eyes had seen, the two had reappeared, this time with Anko's hand wrapped tightly around one of Kurenai's arms. What followed next -or what he could see of it anyway- was a strange dance of twisting, grabbing, slapping, and an occasional punch, elbow, or knee mixed in.

Eventually, Kurenai seemed to gain the advantage as she managed to slip behind Anko and wrenched the younger woman's right arm towards her, combining with a hard shove to the same shoulder to force Anko to bend forward at the waist.

For a moment, he was sure that Kurenai had won, only to be proven wrong when the younger kunoichi twisted her body, and with a series of sickening grinding sounds, popped her shoulder out of socket, rotated her body and viciously drove her left elbow into Kurenai's throat.

Naruto flinched as Kurenai took a stumbled step back, her hand instinctively reaching up to grasp at her throat as she struggled to draw a breath. A breath Anko refused to give her as the purple-haired Chuunin finished her spin with a kick to Kurenai's stomach, driving what little breath the crimson-eyed kunoichi had managed to draw in back out.

Naruto jumped to his feet in horror as Kurenai tried to distance herself from her opponent, Anko doggedly pursuing her. Said opponent continued to attack with a ferocious barrage of jabs, kicks, and punches, continuously keeping Kurenai on the defensive.

Naruto's eyes grew wider and wider as more and more of Anko's strikes got through Kurenai's defenses, feeling a stabbing pain that slowly fed into rage with each strike. He didn't notice as his breathing grew quick and erratic, nor how his fists were clenched so tightly that blood flowed.

Kurenai, perhaps realizing that Anko wouldn't allow her to withdraw, attempted to launch her own kick at the younger woman, only for Anko to catch her foot with a grin, twisting her body into a spin, pulling the older woman off her feet, and swinging her to the ground.

Moments after she hit, Anko was on top of her, landing punch after punch on Kurenai as she tried to block what blows she could. Unfortunately, she couldn't block enough of them, and a powerful punch broke through, slamming her head into the ground and causing blood to fly from her mouth.

And Naruto saw red. He didn't think, he didn't breath, he just hurled himself at Anko with a roar of rage. Amazingly enough, Naruto somehow managed to catch her by surprise, as Anko didn't react until he had jumped on her back, doing his best to latch onto her as he tried to hurt her anyway he could.

Of course, no sooner had he hit her than she had reached up over her shoulder with one hand, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and hurled him over her and slammed him into the ground beside Kurenai. And perhaps most enraging of all, she did it all in a casual, subconscious way.

"Naru-chan?" he distantly heard Kurenai's voice as he furiously twisted, trying to break Anko's grip so he could continue his assault. There might have been more, but his instincts had long since taken over and he kept snarling and thrashing. When that didn't work, he actually sank his teeth into Anko's hand, biting down as hard as he could, relishing in the taste of her blood as he dug his fingernails into her arm, drawing more blood.

His mind vaguely registered someone speaking, though the words didn't really register in his mind.

He didn't know how long he laid there, biting and scratching, but when his mind finally snapped out of the sea of red that blanketed it, it was to the sound of laughter.

"What's the matter, Brat?" Anko chuckled. "Were you feeling left out?"

"You hurt Kurenai." he growled around her hand as he felt the rage begin to build again at how nonchalant she was being.

"Of course I did." Anko stated simply. "That's what you do in a spar. Otherwise, how could anyone ever improve?"

"I'll kill you." Naruto promised angrily, glaring with all his rage and anger at the person who dared to hurt Kurenai.

Anko just laughed again, before turning to a worried looking Kurenai. "Well, well, Kurenai-chan," she said with amusement dancing in her eyes. "Looks like you've got yourself a little guard dog. Or should I say, guard fox?"

Kurenai sent her a warning look before kneeling next to Naruto and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Naru-chan?" she began gently. "Please let go of Anko-chan. I promise you, she didn't really hurt me that much, and people do get hurt in spars anyway."

Naruto ignored her for a moment, only to comply when she added another "Please." with a gentle squeeze. He reluctantly released Anko, but kept himself tense and ready to throw himself at her again if she even _glanced_ at Kurenai the wrong way.

For her part, Anko just examined her hand with a grin before sending a glance at Kurenai. "Feisty little guy, isn't he."

"If you ever hurt her again." Naruto whispered quietly. "I won't let you go a second time."

"I don't think I'm the one you have to worry about Brat." Anko snorted. "There are a lot worse people than me out there that she's going to have to fight. She's gonna get hurt from time to time."

"No she won't." he denied fiercely. "I won't let that happen."

"Oh really?" Anko drawled. "And how exactly are you going to do that? You couldn't even fight a civilian right now, so how do you expect to keep her from getting hurt?"

"I'll get stronger." he declared. "Stronger than anyone!"

"Naru-chan," Kurenai spoke softly. "I'm happy that you want to protect me, but Anko's right. Your skills might be impressive for your age in some areas, but you wouldn't last thirty seconds in a fight with a shinobi. And even if you could, you're not allowed to go on missions with me."

"Why not!" Naruto demanded. "I can handle it, and you need my help!" Naruto struggled to get his emotions under control as they jumped back and forth.

Why couldn't they understand, he _couldn't_ lose Kurenai, he _had_ to protect her. So what if he wasn't the best fighter, he could learn, just like he had learned everything else! And who cared what he was "allowed" to do, he wasn't a ninja, so ninja rules didn't apply to him.

As if reading his mind, Kurenai sighed. "You know the village doesn't allow for non-ninjas to be trained in the ninja arts, Naru-chan. It's very sweet of you to worry about me, but don't be. After all, it's my job to worry about and protect you. Not the other way around."

He could tell that she meant to be comforting, that she was trying to reassure him, but Naruto couldn't help but feel his heart clench painfully. Both Kurenai and Anko thought that he was too weak to help her. They thought he was just a little boy with no skills that would be useful in a fight. Feeling his anger rise, Naruto made a half-hearted attempt to stay calm.

"I can help you. I know I can!" Naruto began softly. "I'll learn whatever I have to, I'll be so strong that no one can touch you, in fact, I'll be so strong, you won't even need to go on missions anymore!" Throughout his rant his voice grew steadily louder until he was all but screaming. "I won't let anything happen to you, ever! I'll protect you no matter what!"

Kurenai appeared to be shocked by his outburst, yet Anko was a different matter. "Give it up Brat. You're not a ninja so you can't go on missions, and even if you could, it's illegal to teach a civilian the kind of skills it would take for you to be anything but a burden to Kurenai-chan. Why don't you just go back to eating ram-"

"Then I'll _be_ a ninja!" Naruto spat. "I'll be the greatest ninja the world has ever seen! So great that no one will ever _dare _think about hurting Kurenai! Just watch me!"

With that, he sprinted from the training ground. He didn't see the shock on Kurenai's face, nor the slightly smug grin on Anko's as he ran as fast as he could. Didn't they understand? Didn't they realize that he _couldn't_ lose Kurenai? _'Well, that's fine! Who cares if they understand or not? I'll do whatever it takes so that I don't lose her. I won't let anyone hurt her or take her from me. Even if I have to kill the whole world!_' With that thought so firmly in his mind, everything else was shoved aside. Including such thoughts as "Why do I care so much?" or "Wait a minute, I don't want to be a ninja".

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

Naruto sighed in exasperation as he thought back on that day. By the time he had returned to his senses, he had already enrolled himself in the Academy, bought numerous shuriken and kunai, and "tactically acquired" the various books for each year of the Academy curriculum.

Kurenai had been quite shocked as well, when she learned of his actions, and surprisingly enough -or not so surprising considering her attachment to him- tried to convince him to change his mind.

And truth be told, he _wanted_ to change his mind so bad he could almost taste it. He didn't want to be a ninja, and he certainly didn't want to fight for Konoha or the Old Man. But he didn't want to lose Kurenai either. And though he hated to admit it, he couldn't think of any other way to get strong enough to help her, and all of his other attempts to gain new shinobi skills failed.

Not that he had given up searching for another way, but he had discovered a side benefit to his actions. Now that he was enrolled for the coming year, Genma, Kurenai, Anko, and even Yoshino, were working him into the ground to get him up to speed for where they felt his skill levels should be. Yoshino for instance, worked to teach him social etiquette of all things, insisting that it was important for his "development".

Still, she was so worried about him, that he couldn't help but strive to learn her lessons, if only to assuage her worries and his own guilt.

Genma on the other hand, increased his Fuuinjutsu lessons. When Naruto asked why -not that he was complaining- Genma simply said. "Most of the stuff I was going to teach you as a tutor was Academy level things. Since you're going to learn that anyway, and I can't teach you anymore after you start classes, I figured I might as well work on something you obviously enjoy that you can't get from the Academy."

Let it never be said that Genma wasn't the coolest man he knew. Not that he knew any men besides him and Teuchi and the Old Man, but those last two were old, so they didn't count the same as Genma.

Kurenai, once she decided that he couldn't be swayed, decided to teach him a new chakra control exercise.

* * *

**Flashback**

They were standing in the same clearing where he had made that fateful -and stupid- decision to enroll in the Academy. Glancing around, Naruto wondered what kind of chakra control exercise he could learn there. There was nothing different than the last time they were there. It was a simple clearing, surrounded by trees. Nothing that stood out or seemed special in any way.

"Kurenai," he asked with a frown. "What are we doing here?"

"Well, Naru-chan." Kurenai began with a smile. "I'm going to teach you how to climb trees with your chakra. This will help improve your chakra control exponentially. What you do is-"

"I already know how to do this, Kurenai." he interrupted just a tad bit smugly.

Kurenai blinked. "You do?"

"Yeah, I figured it out a long time ago." Naruto nodded.

"Show me." she asked and Naruto was only too happy to do so.

Running up to a tree, he channeled chakra to his hands and slowly began to pull himself up the tree, smiling all the way. _'Finally, I can start proving that I'm better than they give me credit for, that I-'_

His train of thought -and his smile- was wiped away when Kurenai…walked past him…on the side of the tree.

"This is what I meant, Naru-chan." she teased lightly. "Still, good job on figuring out your own exercise. It might not be as good an exercise as Kinobori no Waza, but it is a useful skill."

He was vaguely aware that she was trying to sooth his ego, but honestly, he was way too distracted by the fact that she was _walking_ up the _side of a tree!_

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

It had taken a lot of effort, but Naruto had managed to learn it, even if he wasn't close to mastering it.

Then there was Anko. She claimed to be trying to give him some basic skills in Taijutsu and weapons use. Apparently, Anko's idea of "basic" was vastly different from everyone else's if Kurenai's horrified look when she saw it was anything to go by. His throwing skills were improving slowly, but he had yet to get a hang of throwing at moving targets, or while on the move himself, which was apparently much different from standing in front of a stationary target.

Taijutsu-wise, Anko declared him "barely passable for the Academy" which worried him a bit. After all, if Anko thought the Academy level was so much higher than his, then how strong would the other students be?

Shaking off his memories, Naruto made his way into the living room, expecting Kurenai to be there. Instead, he was greeted by an empty apartment, save for two pieces of paper on the kitchen table. Grabbing the first one, he saw it was addressed to him from Kurenai.

_Naru-chan,_

_I had to go to a meeting with the Hokage. Anko-chan should be around to watch you. Please try not to get into any fights. Hopefully, I should be home before lunch. I love you._

_Kurenai._

Setting down her letter with a frown, Naruto picked up the second one, also addressed to him.

_Brat,_

_I've got better things to do than baby-sit you, so you're on your own for the day. _

_PS. If you get me in trouble with Kurenai-chan, I'll cut your balls off._

_PSS And don't call my breasts small!_

_The Great, Sexy, Single, Anko-sama!_

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. Even in a letter, she was still doing that! Shaking his head at Anko's apparent stupidity, he decided to head to Ichiraku's for lunch. Once his Genjutsu and Henge were up, he made his way out into the village.

On the way, he decided to cut through a nearby park, since he was fairly certain that would shave twenty or thirty seconds off his trip, which was time he could spend eating. He was so caught up in his thoughts about delicious ramen, that he almost missed the sounds of a child crying. Glancing around, he focused on his ears, trying to tune out the ambient sounds so he could position the crying.

After a moment, he found it and carefully walked in its direction. A minute or so later, he had found the source. A small child, tinier than any he had ever seen before, sat huddled up against a tree, wailing into his knees.

Frowning, Naruto moved closer in order to study the child. He wasn't worried about anything, since his Genjutsu was still active, so he took his time. The boy was a brunette, and young, definitely too young to be wandering around on his own, even by Naruto's own, admittedly skewed, standards. Also, something about the boy was oddly familiar. What hair the boy had seemed to stick up somehow, and he wore an obviously oversized scarf.

Frowning, Naruto looked closer, trying to see if the boy was hurt. He didn't appear to be, but then, why was he crying?

He spent a few minutes doing this, before finally just dropping his Genjutsu and Henge and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

The boy jumped nearly a foot in the air when Naruto "just appeared" in front of him. Then he let out a series of whimpers and sobs that Naruto couldn't hope to understand.

'_Stupid brat…probably just fell down or something stupid like that.' _he thought angrily. How dare the little bastard cry over something so small? Didn't he understand that there were far worse things in life?

Yet…despite his anger, Naruto was surprised to find that his voice was quite calm as he asked. "Hey, calm down and speak so I can understand you. What's wrong with you?"

This time, the boy took a quivering breath and answered more intelligibly. "I-I- I'm lost! I can't find m-m-my home!" Sniff. "I want my Jiichan!" the little boy dissolved back into wailing.

Growling in annoyance, Naruto resisted the urge to plug his ears. If nothing else, the kid had a pair of lungs on him. "What's your name kid?" he asked, surprised to find the words coming out of his mouth.

Again, the child managed to get his crying under control enough to look up at Naruto with watery eyes. "M-my name is Ko-Konohamaru." Sniff. "Can you help me find my Jiichan?" the newly named Konohamaru asked with wide hopeful eyes.

Sighing again, Naruto contemplated saying no. It wasn't his problem that the kid was lost, and his relatives or babysitter was probably running around the park somewhere. So really, he didn't need to do anything. Yet every time he tried to walk away, he found his feet stuck to the ground somehow.

Growling to himself, Naruto asked. "What's your Jiichan's name Konohamaru? Maybe I can find him."

"Jiichan's the Ohkage- hey! Where are you going?" Konohamaru asked in a panic when Naruto turned on his heel and walked away, all problems moving his feet gone.

'_No wonder the brat looked so familiar. I forgot the Old Man had relatives.' _he vaguely remembered the Old Man mentioning a pregnant daughter some years ago. _'Oh well, the little bastard probably deserves it for being related to him.'_ he thought to himself, tuning out the panicked cries of the young child behind him. He took a twisted pleasure in the thought that he was hurting the Old Man through his grandson.

"Wait! Please don't go!" Konohamaru begged as he chased after him in unsteady steps. "I'm sorry! I'll be good I promise! Please don't leave me alone! Wai- ahh!"

Naruto paused as he heard a thump, and glanced back over his shoulder. The boy had tripped on his scarf from the look of things and fallen flat on his face, and was now crying piteously mixed with sobs for help.

"Pathetic…" Naruto muttered as he took a step to leave only to pause as a painful memory resurfaced. A memory of a small, blond boy with birthmarks on his cheeks, crying in the middle of a street, lost and without any idea how to get back to the orphanage. Then as now, those who could have helped the child stood by and did nothing, even taking a twisted pleasure in the child's pain.

Shaking his head to clear away the unwanted memories of a distant past, Naruto turned around with a sigh and approached the wailing child. Konohamaru was too lost in his crying to notice him, even as he came to stand looking down at him. Naruto didn't like seeing resemblances between him and a relative of the Old Man, but he couldn't deny that what he was doing to the boy was the same thing that so many had done to him in the past. And as much as he wanted to hate the boy, all Naruto could feel was guilt and an odd sense of protectiveness.

'_It's not really his fault the Old Man's his relative. I probably should at least get him somewhere where someone can take care of him.' _he admitted to himself before reaching down and scooping the boy up and placing him on his back.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Konohamaru asked through his hiccups.

"Come on." Naruto grunted. "Let's go find the Old Man."

"But I don't want the Old Man! I want my Jiichan!" Konohamaru wailed into Naruto's sensitive ears.

"Your Jiichan is the Old Man." Naruto grumbled as his ears rung. "And stop being so loud, you're killing my ears."

"M'sorry." Konohamaru whispered softly.

Feeling an irrational surge of anger, mixed in with his guilt and irritation, Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself. "It's alright kid, don't worry about it." He definitely needed to get rid of this kid. He was bringing up all sorts of emotions that Naruto would rather not deal with.

* * *

**Meanwhile**

Kurenai couldn't help but feel a small amount of nervousness as she sat next to Yoshino in one of the two couches in the Sandaime's personal office. Both she and Yoshino had been called in to discuss Naruto's recent developments, including his decision to enroll in the Academy, with the Sandaime and the village elders. A nerve-racking proposition, as unlike the many similar meetings she'd had with the Sandaime since adopting Naruto -which were more of a concerned Grandfather checking up on his Grandson than a village leader asking for a progress report- whatever was decided in this one could drastically alter Naruto's life, and she knew it was his rapidly improving abilities that was the cause for it.

"Kurenai-san, Yoshino-sensei, thank you for coming to meet with us today." The Sandaime greeted cordially as he sat in a chair positioned to their left. Koharu and Homura nodded in agreement as they both say in the couch across from her and Yoshino, and Danzo carefully lowered himself into a seat directly across from the Sandaime, completing the square.

"Let's get started already." Danzo grunted.

For her part, Kurenai merely nodded politely while Yoshino exchanged greetings with the Hokage. It wasn't long however, before the meeting got under way. "I'm sure you both know why you're here." Homura stated gravely.

"Naruto's recent… obsession… with all things Shinobi is a somewhat troubling development." Koharu added with a slight frown.

"We all know why he's doing this." Danzo stated bluntly. "But the question is, should we allow him to continue?

"With all due respect, Danzo-sama." Kurenai began. "Why shouldn't we? Naruto-chan is an excellent student, and I've never seen anyone with his drive to learn. What reason could there be not to let him join the Academy?"

"Because the boy's unstable." Danzo replied. "His mood swings are difficult to predict, and he's already been pushed to his mental limits several times without the benefit of proper training and instruction." the aged elder finished with a pointed look at the Hokage.

Kurenai bristled at that, but Yoshino was the one to rebuttal. "Naruto-kun is very easy to understand to those who know him. And while he's not a perfectly adjusted individual, he has made enormous strides in his recovery."

"True, but despite how much he's improved psychologically, it's always been by leaps and bounds." Homura added. "How much time passed with little to no improvement, before he made a break through? How long will it be before his next improvement?"

"It's not that we don't believe he can recover from the trauma he suffered." Koharu spoke reassuringly. "It's that we have doubts as to whether or not the life of a shinobi is truly best for him at this time."

"We can't afford to have an unstable Jinchuuriki running around." Danzo spoke up again. "The danger to that would be too great, even if the alternative means never being able to utilize his potential."

"So what do you suggest?" Kurenai asked with a frown. "That we refuse him entrance to the Academy? What would that accomplish?"

"Spending more time with other children in a controlled environment could be a tremendous help to him." Yoshino pointed out. "In fact, getting him to spend more time with children has always been something we wanted to accomplish."

"Yet the boy remains a paranoid wreck." Danzo sighed in exasperation. "Yoshino-sensei, you've had four years with the boy, yet look at him. He still believes Sarutobi is out to kill him, and you can count the people he trusts completely on one hand and have fingers left over."

"If he can't trust others, how can we expect him to work on a team?" Koharu asked.

"But we've seen that he does trust other children!" Kurenai objected. "He befriended Shikamaru Nara in less than a day, and he trusts him completely!"

"I agree." Yoshino nodded. "In my professional opinion, refusing Naruto-kun now will cause far more harm than good. Especially since he still doesn't know."

That brought a moment of silent consideration from the elders. "We had always intended to tell him when he entered the Academy." Koharu said softly. "However, that was before he was…traumatized. Telling him now could be disastrous."

'_Traumatized…is that her polite way of saying manipulated and almost murdered twice in one day?' _Kurenai silently growled as she clenched her teeth.

"I agree." Yoshino conceded. "Telling him now is the worst thing we could do."

"Agreed." Sarutobi spoke for the first time since the meeting began. "We will wait until the time is right to tell him of the Kyuubi. For now however, we will not stop him from joining the Academy."

"Sarutobi!" Danzo barked angrily only to be seemingly ignored.

"We will however, continue to keep a close eye on him for the foreseeable future."

Kurenai blinked in surprise that the meeting turned out so well -not to mention so quickly. Granted, she didn't appreciate people calling her son unstable or paranoid -regardless of how true it is- but she expected to have to fight tooth and nail to get him into the Shinobi program.

There were a few more minutes of Danzo objecting and Koharu and Homura clarifying things, but in the end, everything was settled and the Hokage escorted the group outside only to be met by a shocking sight.

Standing just outside the door was a blank faced Naruto, a small form clinging to his back. "Old Man." he greeted in a surprisingly neutral tone of voice. "You should keep better track of your shit." he stated before reaching back and pulling the smaller child from his back and setting him on his feet, before turning and walking away.

The little brunette let out a wail of "Jiichan!" before throwing himself at the startled Hokage. "I got lost Jiichan and I was so scared!" he blubbered into the Sandaime's legs as he clung to his robes.

After a few moments of crying, the Sandaime managed to calm the boy and turned to the retreating form of Naruto. "Naruto-kun," he called, causing her baby boy to stop, even if he didn't turn around. "Thank you, for looking after Konohamaru."

Kurenai was slightly disappointed when Naruto chose not to answer and instead continued on his way. But that was nothing compared to the pride in she felt that Naruto had helped the Honorable Grandson, despite his relation to the Sandaime. Her pride grew when the small boy asked, "Jiichan, do you know him?"

"Yes, Konohamaru." Sandaime answered with a sad yet proud smile. "He's one of the village's greatest heroes."

"Really?" Konohamaru asked in childish amazement. "What did he do?"

"He saved the entire village." the Hokage explained. "And he continues to do so every single day."

"Wow!" the boy exclaimed in awe "I wanna be a hero like him when I grow up!"

Kurenai couldn't help but smile.

* * *

**One Week Later.**

Naruto sighed in annoyance as he gathered his things in a small backpack before looking over his new outfit. Said outfit consisted of a short-sleeved forest green shirt, black pants, black shinobi sandals, and a brown woolen jacket, which did wonders to hide the kunai pouch and shuriken holster -which he wasn't supposed to take to class- that he had attached to the back of his belt. Today was the day he had been simultaneously dreading and anticipating. The start of the new year at the Academy.

"Here we go…" he muttered to himself, as he headed out into the living room. He was surprised to see Kurenai waiting for him. Or more accurately, her outfit. "What are you doing in your uniform?" he asked in confusion.

"Good morning to you too." Kurenai said wryly. "I'm going to be walking you to the Academy."

"Oh joy." Naruto muttered sarcastically. "I don't need you to walk me. And that doesn't explain why you're wearing your vest."

"Yeah…about that…we need to make a quick stop on the way to the academy." Kurenai continued, apparently ignoring his objections. "Come on, you don't want to be late on your first day, do you?" She chided as she shooed him out of the apartment.

After walking for a time, they found themselves standing outside a very large, very fancy looking walled compound. "Big place." Naruto grunted sarcastically. "What are we doing here again?"

"Well, this is the Hyuuga compound." Kurenai began. "I'm going to have a new mission for a while. And this is where I'll be picking her up for the foreseeable future." she explained as she headed into the compound, leaving him no choice but to follow or be left behind.

'_Her?' _he blinked as he followed her, taking in the surroundings, as well as the people in it.

The compound set-up was very similar to the traditional Nara compound, in the same way that Kurenai's apartment was similar to a penthouse. Sure, they both had the same general things, like a bathroom with a shower/bathtub. But whereas Kurenai's bath could maybe fit two adults in it, the penthouse's was an inset Jacuzzi big enough to fit six people comfortably. Similar, but in totally different leagues.

The grounds were breathtaking -he supposed- and the gardens must have been beautiful if Kurenai's longing looks were anything to go by. Even the pebble and sand filled expanses had swirls and designs, often around slightly larger rocks, which was probably supposed to give off a peaceful and harmonious aura. But for some reason, Naruto couldn't help but feel that something was…wrong.

The exterior walls were pristine and white…very white. The same went for the buildings. In fact, they would probably gleam like a gem during the day. Yet Naruto was still reminded of something else…

The hospital.

That was exactly it, if anything, the only difference was that this place was prettier. There was that cold precision to everything, as if it all had it's place where it had to be, and Naruto wouldn't be shocked if it extended into the actual homes within the Hyuuga compound.

The clan members were all paler than he was used to seeing, and they all possessed the same, pale, pupil-less eyes. They all moved with a sort of cold precision, nice to look at and very fluid looking, until you noticed the coldness of it all.

In fact, it seemed as if each Hyuuga exuded a sort of bubble, one that kept all but the smallest of children at arms length. The children also seemed to be the only ones that any of the adults looked at with anything other than a neutral indifference.

Despite this, Naruto could still pick up a sense of tension radiating between certain groups of Hyuuga, though the only difference he noticed other than some wearing slightly better clothing, was that one group seemed both more numerous, and apparently had more ninja in it if the abundance of hitae-ate was anything to go by.

"Wait here, Naruto." Kurenai's voice broke through his observations. Looking back at her, he just caught sight of her walking through one of those sliding doors and greeting a Hyuuga inside.

Shrugging, he went back to studying the surroundings, though he was surprised to note that the Hyuuga that had been all around before were now all gone. A few minutes later, Kurenai returned with a tiny little form that shuffled along all hunched in on itself. "Naruto," Kurenai began softly and gently, as if trying to avoid spooking a skittish animal. "This is Hinata-chan. I'm going to be walking her to and from school for a while. Hinata-chan, this is Naruto."

Blinking, Naruto look closer at the shriveled form to discover that it was, in fact, a tiny little girl, who seemed to be trying to do an impersonation of a turtle, the way she was trying to bury herself in her coat.

He nodded in greeting before turning back to Kurenai. "Can we go now?" he asked with a forced bored disinterest. This place was starting to get to make him nervous, like there was a restrained violence just hidden beneath the surface. He wanted to leave, before something happened to spark off what -to him at least- seemed to be the inevitable bloodshed.

If Kurenai noticed his discomfort, or the tension between the Hyuuga, then she did a much better job than him of hiding it. "Of course, that is, if you're ready to go Hinata-chan?" she asked the tiny thing next to her.

Said girl seemed to jump in fright at being addressed, before asking in a timid, shaky voice. "Um…could…could I say goodbye to my Imouto first, please?"

"Of course," Kurenai said with a gentle smile. "We have plenty of time before we need to be at the academy."

With that reassurance, Hinata quickly led the way across the grounds and into another large building. Once there, they passed a pair of middle-aged, headband-less Hyuuga men sipping on tea just outside the entrance. What really caught his eye was the way Hinata marginally relaxed once inside, though she seemed to give off a sad aura at the same time. Naruto recognized that kind of relaxation. He himself felt it every time he entered their apartment after being outside for any period of time. The feeling of having reached someplace safe.

It didn't take a genius to realize that Hinata's reaction was connected to the subtle tension that permeated the rest of the compound. Frowning, Naruto subtly palmed a shuriken. He didn't think his and Kurenai's presence would trigger a sudden outburst of violence, but he was taking any chances with his, and more importantly, Kurenai's safety.

Eventually, they arrived at what appeared to be some kind of nursery, and he and Kurenai stood outside the door and watched as Hinata relaxed even more as she approached an older Hyuuga woman, again without a forehead protector, rocking a tiny, blanket wrapped bundle.

As Hinata approached, the woman smiled slightly and shifted the bundle to reveal the head of a tiny, Hyuuga baby, complete with those pale eyes -Hinata's sister he imagined.

"Good morning, Hanabi-chan." Hinata greeted quietly, yet with a wide, beautiful smile. "I have to go to class today, so I won't be able to play with you until this afternoon." The baby started to fuss and make little crying noises, almost as if she understood what her sister was saying and didn't like it.

"Don't worry, Hanabi-chan. I'll be back as soon as I can." Hinata reassured as she kissed the baby's head and nuzzled her cheek with her own. This seemed to make the infant feel better, as she made a sound that Naruto thought might have been laughter. "Be good for Hoshi-san, Imouto."

She exchanged a few polite words with "Hoshi-san" before making her way back to them, whatever happiness she had been feeling seeming to fade as they made their way out of the compound and into the street.

Once there, Naruto relaxed marginally and returned his shuriken to it's holster, dutifully ignoring Kurenai's offer to hold his hand. An offer that Hinata seemed desperate for, as she latched onto the offered appendage. As they walked, Naruto made it a point to study the little Hyuuga in more detail.

The tiny girl looked like she was four or so, despite him knowing that you had to be at least six to enter the Academy normally, and there was no way this little, seemingly terrified girl, was a prodigy. She wore dark pants with blue sandals, and a large jacket, zipped up all the way despite the warm weather. But it was her face that really caught his attention. Or to be more accurate, her eyes. She seemed to be in a constant state of shock, or startled fear, and added to her whisper of a voice, tiny frame, and her habit of huddling in on herself, Naruto could help but think of a small animal skittering to and fro.

'_A mouse…' _he thought to himself. _'That's exactly what she is. A terrified little mouse…but why would a mouse try to be a ninja?'_

It didn't make sense. What would make a member of the Hyuuga clan, -which judging by it's compound had a lot of power- one that was important enough to warrant a Chuunin body-guard when outside their compound, turn into this timid little thing?

No matter how he thought about it, Naruto couldn't make sense of it. But he did know one thing. He didn't like it. Every fiber of his being told him that this little girl should be a happy, frolicking thing, not this timid little creature. Something was very wrong, and his gut twisted in an uncomfortably familiar way at the situation.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped in the middle of the road as he felt an old sense of being watched return. Glancing around, he attempted to find the source, only to blink in surprise to see another Hyuuga child, this one a little younger than him, staring at them from back down the street.

'_Odd…I don't usually get this feeling from just being stared at…'_ Naruto thought to himself with a frown. Looking closer at the boy, he realized something rather disturbing. The boy appeared to have…_veins_ bulging out from all around his eyes.

Just as Naruto contemplated sending the boy a message, the veins seemed to fade away just before the boy turned onto a different street. Frown deepening, Naruto debated the merits of tracking the boy down, and decided against it. After all, it wasn't like the boy had actually done anything.

Satisfied, he broke into a light jog to catch up with Hinata and Kurenai.

"Well, here we are." Kurenai said a few minutes later as they entered a small courtyard. "Hinata-chan, Naruto-chan, I'll meet you both here after class. Have fun." she finished by giving Hinata a light nudge and turned to Naruto. "And Naru-chan, please try to make friends, okay?"

"I don't need any friends." he muttered in response as he strode forward purposefully. After all, the sooner he got inside, the sooner he could leave, right?

He was only a few feet from the door when he picked up the sound of frantic footsteps approaching him. He instinctively pivoted on one foot as his left hand came up to block or grab as necessary, while his right went under his jacket to grasp a kunai.

He was surprised to see the little mouse scurrying up to him, a frantic look on her face for some odd reason. Apparently, his stride was too long for the much smaller girl to keep up with easily, forcing her to jog at a medium pace to keep up. "What do you want?" Naruto bit out, perhaps a bit harsher than he'd intended if the girl's flinch was anything to go by.

"K-Kurenai-san said that-that we're in the same class." she stammered hastily, almost panicky, as if afraid he'd lash out at her if she didn't explain quickly enough.

Frowning slightly at her response, Naruto stared down at her as he thought over his response. His first opinion of the girl was the usual mixture of hatred and envy that he felt for all other children. Hatred that they were allowed to be so innocent while he had to fight for his life, and envy that they were born and raised with loving families.

His second impression was that the girl was pathetic, scurrying to and fro like a terrified rodent, hiding from the larger predators.

His final impression though, was that of a little girl who was in way over her head, yet for some reason couldn't find her way out of the situation.

It was this impression that struck him the most. Oh sure, the rest were still there, but they were overshadowed by the idea that this tiny, frail little girl was fighting against forces far beyond her ability to comprehend. And that just wasn't right.

Naruto knew that he was…uninformed…about a lot of things that others took for granted. He knew that he wasn't very knowledgeable about things like families and relationships. But his gut told him that the little girl staring up at him with a mixture of hope and fear needed protecting. He couldn't put it into words, but he knew he had to help at least a little.

Nodding to himself, he motioned to Hinata to follow him and headed into the Academy, making the attempt to shorten his strides so she could keep up with him.

As he headed down the halls, Naruto was very aware of the looks he was receiving as he maneuvered through the crowd of children. What he didn't know, was what the looks were for. Subconsciously, they might have been for the way he moved, as even though he wasn't incredibly skilled at it, his training with Anko had left him with a distinct -if unrefined- flowing like motion, as if he was moments away from violence. And while a fully trained version of himself would move with a grace similar to a panther or a wolf, leaving him to walk more like a cat in comparison, subconsciously, the other children could pick up on that, subtle though it was.

But no, the real reason they stared, and the answer that Naruto arrived at, was far more simple. _'I guess they've never seen scars on someone as young as me.' _he thought with an amused snort. _'Children.' _he mentally sneered.

Moments later, he came face to face with the Hyuuga boy from the streets. Though when he looked closer, he noticed the boy wasn't even looking at him, instead glaring down at the tiny Hinata, who huddled in on herself even more if that was possible.

"Hinata-sama," The boy stated more than greeted. "What a pleasure it is to have you here with the rest of us commoners. Are your books too heavy for you? I'm sure you could force -excuse me- _ask_ someone to help you with them."

"Neji-niisan," the girl managed to whisper out. "It's nice to see you again. How have you been?"

Neji continued to stare at her even as he answered. "I've been just fine, Hinata-sama. I'm very happy with my station, and I'm so _grateful_ to Hiashi-sama and the Main Family _allowing_ me to improve my ability to serve them."

Naruto frowned at the conversation, especially the way Hinata flinched and cringed every time Neji lashed out at her. And he knew that was what the boy was doing. Even if the words and tone of voice seemed perfectly polite, Naruto could see the anger and loathing in the younger boy's eyes.

"Get out of my way." he ordered the Hyuuga boy. "Hinata and I need to get to class."

He was a little miffed at the way both of their heads whipped around to look up at him, as if they were both just noticing he was there. Although, at least Hinata had the grace to look mortified, whereas Neji just glared at him slightly.

"Hinata-sama," Neji spoke in that same, not quite mocking tone. "Should someone of your _status_ be seen associating with _trash_ like this?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes, before whipping his right arm out and clamping his hand over Neji's neck, intending to squeeze just enough to send a message. "Watch who you call trash, boy." he growled just before releasing the boy and jerking his hand back to avoid the strange strike the younger boy sent at his arm.

Naruto narrowed his eyes again, this time in observation. The Hyuuga had obviously had some training of his own, based on how quickly and how smoothly he reacted, even if Naruto hadn't moved as fast as he could have.

The boy's eyes had only widened slightly at the speed Naruto's arm had moved, and was already launching a counterattack by the time Naruto grabbed him.

In fact, if it wasn't for the younger boy's surprise at his speed, -as he was probably used to being the fastest in his age group- Naruto wasn't sure if he could have grabbed the boy at all. Then there was the strange attack the boy used, striking at him with the tips of his fingers, glancing Naruto's arm despite how quickly he pulled back. Now the spot he had glanced was numb.

As both boys observed each other, little Hinata was left looking back and forth between them with a horrified expression. "Please, don't fight!" she said in her timid little whisper. Naruto was fairly certain that he was the only one that heard her.

"Naruto-kun!" came a woman's happy cry. "I thought that was you!" Yoshino Nara chirped as she herded a half-asleep Shikamaru up to them. "Oh, isn't this so exciting? Both you and Shikamaru-chan's first day! Come along, you three, off to class!" she said excitedly as she added Naruto and Hinata to her herd.

"Kaa-san!" Shikamaru whined. "Quit embarrassing me!"

"Embarrassing!" Yoshino scolded, "How is it embarrassing to be excited about such an important day? You should be a little more excited too!"

As Naruto allowed himself to be herded with Shikamaru and Hinata, he kept his eyes on Neji as the Hyuuga boy did the same. As they passed, their eyes met, slit blue eyes staring into pupil-less pale, and both giving off the same message. _"Don't fuck with me."_

"And what's your name little girl?" he heard Yoshino ask as he tuned back into the conversation.

"I'm Hinata Hyuuga." the girl said in her whispery voice. "Pleased to meet you, Nara-san." She finished with a polite bow.

"Oh, there's no need to be so formal dear." Yoshino gently chided. "Yoshino is just fine. And this lazy little thing is my baby Shikamaru-chan." she finished as she messed with said Nara's hair.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered, apparently having decided that objecting was too much work.

"So how do you know Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked as they approached their classroom.

"His mother is walking me to the Academy." Hinata volunteered shyly. "We just met today."

"Oh, I see." Yoshino nodded as they arrived outside their destination. "Well, this is it. It was nice meeting you Hinata-chan, and I hope we can talk again later."

In what seemed to be a routine, Hinata jumped in surprise before shakily asking. "Really?"

"Of course." Yoshino answered gently. "We can talk whenever you like okay?"

Hinata managed a nod, and with that, the three of them entered the classroom.

Naruto's first impression of his classmates was…bleak. Most of the girls were off giggling in one corner or the other, and the boys were all either boasting about how great a ninja they'd be, or else screwing around with each other.

Few, if any of them, looked like they were training to become fighters, let alone shinobi. In fact, most of them looked like they had just come in off the streets, or better yet had just snuck in. Glancing around, only two really looked or moved like they had anything in the way of training, and one of them was easily identified by the clan markings on his cheeks. Yet even they looked like they were just starting out.

Frowning, he turned to Shikamaru. "Not exactly the cream of the crop in here, is it?"

"Only by your standards." the lazy Nara grunted in return. "As far as normal people go, this is an amazing, not to mention promising, group."

"Whatever." he muttered as the three of them sat in the remaining seats. Naruto was pleased to find that his was in the back, giving him a perfect view of everyone else in the room, while leaving his back to a wall.

* * *

**Later that day**

"Finally." Naruto growled in annoyance as he quickly exited the building, just barely keeping his strides short enough to keep little Hinata from having to run to keep up.

The whole day was a complete waste. Most of the day was spent either going over trivial things like introductions, or going over material that Naruto already knew. They didn't even let them throw a single punch!

And perhaps the most annoying thing about it all was the whispering, annoying girls!

* * *

**Flashback**

"I heard that he's the last survivor of a powerful bloodline from Mizu, and that the Hokage is letting him join the village so long as he rebuilds his clan." A girl with long pink hair whispered so loudly Naruto could hear her from his seat in the top row.

"No, that's not it at all!" A redhead insisted. "He's a child prodigy who became an elite Oinin at age five!"

'_Honestly,' _Naruto thought to himself as the group of…well, just about every girl in the class alternated between gossiping and staring at him. _'It's like they're not even trying to be discreet.'_

"Then what's he doing here?" the pinkette challenged scornfully.

"I'm getting there!" the redhead hissed back. "When he was an Oinin, he attacked Kumo because they killed his lover, and he caused so much damage, that Kumo wouldn't accept peace unless he was removed from the Shinobi program. But the Hokage found a loop hole where he could reenlist and now he's back in the Academy!" the girl finished excitedly.

'_My God, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.' _Naruto thought to himself just before a brunette girl squealed, "That's so romantic!"

'_Okay,' _he amended. _'_That's_ the dumbest thing I've ever heard.'_

"Don't be stupid!" a girl with purple hair and a perpetual smirk spat. "He's a former Anbu member, who was trained from the day he was born to be an assassin. Only now, the Hokage feels guilty, and he's making him attend the Academy to make friends, fall in love, and regain his humanity."

"That's stupid!" the pinkette growled. "God Ami, why would you make up something that's obviously not true?"

"Shut up Forehead Girl! You're the one that's deluded, acting like you'll be able to marry into a bloodline clan and finally be someone!" Ami snarled spitefully.

The pinkette looked like she was going to explode, only for a blond girl -the only one Naruto had ever seen- to intervene. "Calm down Sakura, I know exactly who he is." the girl said smugly.

'_Oh, this should be good.'? _Naruto thought as he rolled his eyes.

"Come on, don't keep us waiting, Ino!" Sakura chattered excitedly.

"Alright, I'll tell you." Ino "whispered". "He is an Anbu, but he hasn't been kicked out or anything like that." Ino paused there dramatically before stating. "He's on a mission!"

The girls all burst into excited chatter and giggles at that, all save Hinata that is. The poor girl had been rounded up by Ino and Sakura along with the others as soon as lunch started, and now she was stuck in the middle of the group, trying to get a word in, only to be overruled by the much louder, and much bolder girls.

"What is his mission, Ino?" one of the girls asked excitedly. This was greeted by a chorus of "Yeah!" and "Tell us Ino!"

"Alright, alright." Ino sighed as if she was being worn down to reveal her secrets. "His mission is…to protect the Hyuuga Heiress, Hinata Hyuuga!"

"What?" Poor Hinata looked as startled as he had ever seen her. "N-no he's not-"

"Yeah, your right." Ino conceded with a shrug and upturned palms. "He's actually just a normal, older boy, who _just happens_ to have battle scars, who _just happens_ to be joining two years later than the rest of us, who _just happened_ to escort you to class, annnnnd who just happened to be there to defend you from that jerk Neji. That same jerk who's one of the fastest kids in the Academy, and yet was easily beaten by Naruto." Ino finished with a sly grin. "It's ok, we won't tell anyone about your secret bodyguard, Hinata."

"N-no!" the little girl managed to get out. "That's not true at all! His mother is just escorting me to and from the Academy, that's all!"

"Oh really?" Ino drawled. "Then why does he have a different last name than her? He said his name was Uzumaki, yet your "escort's" name is Yuuhi. How does that work out?"

"Well," Hinata floundered. "I'm not sure, but Kurenai-san said he was her son, so I'm sure there's an explana-"

"Well, he is your friend isn't he?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Well, yes, but-"Hinata tried to explain only to be cut off again.

"You're a terrible liar." Ami declared. "Looks like Ino was right for once."

Hinata attempted to object again, but all the girls were talking at once, and her tiny voice was quickly lost in the cacophony.

Shaking his head at the girls' stupidity, as well at the boys for apparently not being able to hear it, Naruto turned his attention back to his lunch. "This place is going to drive me insane." he muttered.

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

"Naruto-san?" a tiny whisper managed to break through his thoughts, though the slight tug at his jacket sleeve helped.

Glancing down at his arm, he saw a tiny hand grasping his jacket between the thumb and index finger, almost as if afraid to grab anymore. "What is it, Hinata?" he asked as gently as he could, which, it turns out, wasn't very gentle at all.

"Um…I'm sorry I said you were my friend." she offered quickly. "I…I won't do it again, I promise."

Blinking, Naruto turned so he was facing her fully. "What makes you think I'm angry about that?" he asked curiously.

"You…you've been scowling ever since lunch so…I thought I must have offended you and-"

Naruto tuned out the rest of her explanation as he stared at her incredulously. Was her self-esteem so bad that she automatically assumed that anything that upset anyone was somehow her fault? That…that just wasn't right!

No child should feel like that, even Naruto knew that much. "Hinata." He interrupted whatever she had been saying. He mentally cringed when she flinched back as if expecting a blow. "Hinata," he said more softly. "I'm not mad that you called me your friend." he explained. "I'm mad because today's class was a waste of my time. You can be my friend if you want."

"Really?" she asked again with that painful mixture of hope and fear in her eyes.

"Yes, really." he answered as he reached out and grabbed her hand firmly yet gently. "Now come on, let's go find Kurenai."

As he pulled her along, trying to ignore how tightly she clung to him, -with both hands no less- Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that he was in for a long six years.

* * *

Translations:

Kaa-san=Mom

Imouto=little sister

Kinobori no Waza=Act of Tree Climbing

* * *

**AN: **There we go, after a couple of months of work I finally got it out. As always, any and all criticisms, reviews, suggestions, etc are welcome.


	16. AN

**Please don't review this AN. I made that mistake once already.**

**Author's Note: **Alright, as some of you may or may not know, I'm in my nation's military. And I'm deploying soon. So, expect this story to be in a bit of limbo for a while. This is not to say that it's going on hiatus, as I still plan to work on them in my free time. No, the problem is, I can't say for certain what, if any, internet capabilities I'll have where I'm going. If I can, I'll continue updating. If not, well, I hope you can be patient. Finally, no, this story is not up for adoption, and if anyone other than Inarealpickle or SimonMountey claims otherwise, they are lying. My betas have agreed to either continue this story, or find someone they feel is capable of doing so, in the event of my death, coma, etc.

I'd like to take this moment to thank all of you for sticking with me this past year, as I've struggled to create this story. I don't think I've written anything spectacular, but despite all the little set-backs and frustrations, it has been a lot of fun.

Peace, Vaan.

PS, I've got about 7000 words written for the next chapter of this story, so you might get one last update before I leave.


	17. Chapter 16

Words-113911, Chapters-17, Reviews-473, Hits-176742, C2-95, Favs-725, Alerts-889

* * *

**AN:**

Hey everyone, I'm still alive. I appreciate all of the well wishes I recieved, though some of you were a little...odd (Yes I'm looking at you English Guy) Anyway, this is an unbeta'd chapter, which I will replace with a proof read one as soon as I get it. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed.

Now, I need to address the reviewer Dan. Thank you for pointing out the whole, "speak English" thing in chapter 15. That was a mistake on my part, and I apologise for that. Now, about Naruto being "super clingy", I had wanted to make Naruto's feelings for her to be similar to Haku's for Zabuza. Obviously, it didn't quite turn out that way, and I've yet to figure out a way to fix it. And while it could have been applied to Yoshino...well, who's to say it didn't? Officially, Yoshino is a Chuunin, but she doesn't really do anything dangerous...aside from giving therapy to ninjas that is. So there's no reason for him to get riled up by her getting hurt/put in danger. And he always intended to be a ninja, just not one that worked for Sarutobi. Finally, you say I exaggerate his feelings...where? Can you give me the spots where that happened and how you felt they were exaggerated as well as how you feel they should be? This would go a long way in improving the story.

Without further ado, I give you chapter sixteen of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

This will be AU (obviously) and Naruto will be two years older than Canon. Which means that the Kyuubi attack will be two years earlier.

* * *

**Chapter 16**

"Naru-chan? It's time to get up." a gentle voice maliciously bashed its way into Naruto's head, bringing his wonderfully pleasant sleep to a fiery death. At least, that's how Naruto thought of it.

Hearing the sound of curtains being drawn, he rolled over to escape the sudden invasion of light, growling irritably as he did so. "Go away you soul sucking witch from Hell!" At least, that's what he tried to say. It came out as something more like "No talky. Sleepy."

"Come on, Naruto." the oh so familiar voice sighed in exasperation, accompanied by a playful tap to the head. "You need to get up. Today is the Genin Exam, remember? Surely you don't want to miss it and have to repeat the year all over again?"

"I say, nay nay." He retorted, only this time it came out more like, "Merahhh! *smack smack*."

"Naruto…" the voice said ominously. "Don't think I won't sic Anko-chan on you…again."

Faced with that rather unpleasant notion -as it was impossible to stay asleep when Anko didn't want you to- he finally gave in and sat up in bed, scratching his bare chest as he sleepily glared at the source of his annoyance.

Said annoyance wasn't even looking at him, instead busying herself with tidying up his room in that annoying way of hers. He could never find anything after she was done.

Frowning in exasperation, he said, "Kurenai, please tell me you aren't still going to wear that thing?" He was, of course, talking about her weird dress…robe…kimono…bandage…thing. He could still -unfortunately- remember the day she had bought the thing.

* * *

**Flashback Three Years Ago**

"Naru-chan, we're going shopping today after your classes get out." Kurenai informed him as he ate some toast.

Raising an eyebrow, Naruto asked, "What's this "we" shit?" It should be noted; Naruto hated shopping with Kurenai with a passion. It always seemed like she was purposefully trying to drag it out, much to his displeasure.

Seemingly ignoring Naruto's not so subtle hint, she answered. "I promised Anko that I would help her pick out a new outfit now that she's a Special Jounin. And you and I could both use some new clothes anyway."

"What's wrong with the clothes I've already got?" he protested.

"Other than all the holes, rips, tears, and burn marks?" Kurenai asked dryly. "They're getting too small for you."

True, but not a good enough reason to make him put up with the two Kunoichi during a shopping spree. Especially not when Anko was still rubbing her promotion in everyone's faces. "So? They're still good enough. And if I have to get new ones, I can do that myself." Figuring that the conversation was settled, Naruto turned his attention back to his meal.

"Tell you what," Kurenai sighed tiredly. "If you come with us, I'll buy you that new shuriken holster, including the shuriken that go with it. Deal?"

That caught his attention. They weren't poor by any means, but they did have to be careful with their money -especially when Naruto absolutely hated dipping into his "inheritance" and he didn't think Kurenai even knew about it- which usually meant Naruto had to "tactically acquire" any extra equipment he might happen to want/need. And while she'd never say it, Naruto knew the reason why she had to be careful -and the reason why she was still a Chuunin- was because of him.

Due to her having to take care of him, she spent less time training and took fewer missions in order to spend time with him, which resulted in her career coming to something of a halt. Right now, she could maybe wrestle out a rank of Special Jounin. Maybe. And that was only because of her skills with Genjutsu.

After all, why promote a kunoichi who isn't willing to spend too much time away from the village, when you can promote someone who can't wait to go on missions in pursuit of the elusive Jounin rank?

Still Kurenai was offering to buy him an entire set of shuriken as well as a new holster. It could take him weeks to "acquire" that many shuriken, let alone brand new ones. "Deal." he agreed with a nod, hoping he wouldn't regret it.

"Good, now finish up your breakfast or you'll be late for school." And with that admonishment, Kurenai left the apartment, vanishing in a Shunshin shortly after.

Later on, Naruto growled angrily as he was dragged from store to store by the two women, having long since found enough new clothes for himself.

Finally, after an eternity, they seemed to find something they each liked, and they disappeared into the changing rooms, leaving Naruto alone. In a store that catered primarily to kunoichi. Awkward.

With a shout of "Constant vigilance!" Anko returned, attempting to take his head off with a roundhouse kick that he just managed to dodge…by dropping to the ground and covering his head to protect it from the explosions that usually followed her cries of "constant vigilance".

Rising to his feet, Naruto intended to curse at her for attacking him…again…only for his train of thought to be derailed when he took in her new "outfit".

It consisted of a pair of fishnet shorts that stopped a few inches above the knee, a fishnet t-shirt, a brown skirt that didn't even reach mid-thigh, a pair of shin guards, her sandals, and her hitae-ate. That was it.

Unable to stop himself, Naruto glanced at her chest before smacking his head. _'Of course.' _He thought exasperatedly. _'She's not wearing a bra.'_

Looking back up at her -careful to avoid getting another eye-full- he opened his mouth to ask the obvious question. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?"

Blinking, Anko tilted her head in confusion. "Whadda mean?"

Twitching, Naruto hissed. "Your _outfit_!"

"Oh yeah, ain't it cool!" she asked with a grin and a twirl, which did…interesting…things.

"I was thinking more along the lines of indecent." Naruto muttered as he averted his eyes, trying to ignore all of the women staring at them.

"Indecent!" Anko asked in surprise as she glanced down at herself before fixing him with an incredulous stare. "What? I'm _wearing _shin guards."

"Shin gua-no, you know what, I don't want to know, I don't even care." Naruto spluttered angrily before stomping away. "The only thing you're missing is a damn trench coat, a creepy mustache, and some candy."

"Oh! Great idea, Naru-chaaan!" Anko chirped as she dashed back into another part of the store.

"Dear God, she's finally snapped…" he muttered in horror. "Shit…I just know I'm gonna get blamed for this." Glancing around at everyone staring at him, he wondered if it was too late to act like he'd never met Anko.

A moment later, the kunoichi returned throwing on a trench coat as she did. Surprisingly, the trench coat did a credible job of hiding Anko's…physique…from view.

"Anko-chan, did you find something?" Kurenai asked as she finally came to his rescue.

"Kurenai-chan!" Anko chirped giddily as she did another twirl. "Check it out!"

Whatever she had to say about the younger woman's choice of "clothing" was lost on Naruto as he stared in confusion at Kurenai's own apparel. "What are you wearing?" Unlike with Anko, this time Naruto asked in pure confusion.

Kurenai was dressed in a white…thing that reached down to about mid-thigh. It looked like it was maybe a…dress made of bandages? Some kind of short kimono designed to look like bandages? He just couldn't figure it out. What he could figure out was the fishnet shirt she wore under it, and the single red sleeve that covered her right arm from shoulder to just above the wrist. She also had apparently wrapped ninja tape from where the…dress…thing… ended, up under it to…somewhere that he really didn't want to know.

"Naru-chan?" Kurenai's voice finally managed to register with him. "What do you think?"

Tilting his head in confusion, Naruto could only think of one thing to say.

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

"What _is _that thing?" Naruto muttered as he once again tried and failed to make sense of Kurenai's outfit.

"Oh, don't be such a downer, Naru-chan." Kurenai scolded playfully. "Now get up, I have to go to a meeting with the Hokage."

"Meeting about what?" Naruto yawned, trying to sound as if he was still half asleep, despite listening intently. Anything involving the Old Man was dangerous, and Kurenai, despite all her many wonderful traits, was unbelievably blind to it. Every time she went in to see the Old Man, she never seemed to realize how easily she could be killed, or abducted, or who knows what. And worse, Naruto could only get so close to the Hokage Tower, each time, making it next to impossible for him to protect her.

Yet whenever he tried to convince her to stay away, she always tried to convince him to "give the Sandaime a chance" and "you can trust him" and other such bullshit. Really, sometimes he thought Kurenai was the worst judge of character.

"Oh, nothing much." Kurenai murmured nonchalantly. "I might be one of the Jounin-sensei for your year's graduates. That's all."

That gave him pause. She'd only been made a Jounin two years ago, skipping Special Jounin all together, much to Anko's whining dismay. Still, at least she was getting paid more, and if she did get stuck with a Genin team, at least she'd be doing safe, easy missions.

Letting out a small sigh, Naruto continued getting dressed as Kurenai left with a "Don't forget to lock the door." Really, it was a pleasant thought that Kurenai would end up as his Jounin-sensei -especially since that way he could finally get her to teach him some of her C ranked and higher Genjutsu- but he knew it was never going to happen.

Oh well, a man can dream, and he might still be able get those Genjutsu regardless once he made Genin.

Speaking of Genin, he didn't have the slightest idea what the Exam would entail, so it would be best to be prepared for…well…anything. Nodding, he dug into his closet and pulled out something he'd been working on putting together for the better part of two years.

Once he'd put it all together, he looked at himself in the mirror. He wore the standard shuriken holster on his right leg and a kunai pouch just behind his left hip. Just behind his right hip, he wore two scroll holsters set at an angle for easy access.

One scroll was filled with various weapons and supplies. The other was still blank.

In between the scrolls and kunai pouch, he wore a larger, waist pack filled with his patchwork medical supplies -consisting of blood pills, chakra pills, painkillers, bandages, some wider use antidotes, surgical scissors, needle and thread, etc.- and various weapons and ninja tools.

The final piece was a brown leather harness that he wore on his chest, designed to hold a second shuriken holster beneath his left arm in a way that allowed the shuriken to just fall into his hand. Under his right arm was another holster, also designed for quick access.

All in all, he carried everything from kunai and shuriken, to senbon and makibishi, to ninja wire, a number of seals, and even a windmill shuriken that he'd "acquired" from one of the training grounds.

The latest addition was an eight-inch knife made of chakra conducting metal strapped in a sheath to his left shoulder. A peace offering from a certain bearded monkey.

* * *

**Flashback Two Years Ago**

Asuma Sarutobi looked haggard and annoyed as he sat across from him. Apparently, the man was something of an old acquaintance of Kurenai's, having known him since their days in the Academy.

They hadn't seen each other since shortly after the Kyuubi attack, and the bearded monkey left to go serve the Daimyo, and had returned just recently.

And as Naruto had learned, the man appeared to have a fancy for Kurenai. Which Anko and he heartily disapproved of, though for differing reasons. Anko disliked the man because he was "trying to steal Kurenai-chan" and "he just wants to get in her pants" whatever that was supposed to mean.

Naruto's reason, on the other hand, wasn't anywhere near as immature as hers. He knew full well that Asuma was the Old Man's son, and that it couldn't be coincidence that he just "happened" to come back to the village after Kurenai took him in.

No, Asuma was after something, though whether he was working for the Old Man or he had his own agenda, Naruto wasn't sure. But he would be sure to keep an eye on Asuma. After all, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Sooner of later, Naruto would get what he wanted out of the man, and then...well, no one was going to take Kurenai away from him. No one.

As such, the two had launched a campaign to drive the Jounin shinobi away.

They had pranked, sabotaged, tricked, and generally made the man's life miserable.

And now, here they were sitting in the living room. "Look Naruto," Asuma sighed, no doubt wishing for a cigarette that Kurenai refused to allow in her apartment. "I know you don't like me, and I know you don't trust me. But can't we settle our differences?"

"It's not a question of like or trust." Naruto snorted. "You're just not good enough for Kurenai. That's all." _'And I'm not dumb enough to fall for your tricks.'_ He silently added.

"Don't you think you should let Kurenai decide that?" Asuma asked in restrained exasperation.

"Are you shitting me?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Have you _seen_ who she hangs out with? Have you _met_ me? Not to mention that thing she wears!"

"Yeah, I have seen what she wears…" Asuma murmured with a happy, far away look on his face. A look that quickly disappeared when Naruto tried to bury a kunai between his eyes.

"A-anyway," Asuma continued after Naruto stopped trying to kill him. "Can't you give me a chance to prove myself?"

"No, I don't think I can." Naruto said airily. "And even if I did, Anko wouldn't."

"Really?" Asuma asked in surprise. "That's what _she_ said about _you_."

"Anko will say anything when she's eating dango." Naruto said dismissively. Mentally though, he growled, _'Damn traitor! How could she sell out Kurenai over some dango!' _Of course, he was forgetting a rather key detail. Anko didn't think the Old Man was anymore dangerous than Kurenai did.

"Look," Asuma sighed tiredly. "How about you just give me a chance, and in return, I'll teach you how to use this." With a flourish, he presented him with a sheathed combat knife. Taking it suspiciously, Naruto drew the knife. Its blade was approximately eight inches long and two inches wide, and was made of a strange dark metal.

"What's this? I have plenty of my own blades, what's so special about this one?" he asked as he returned the knife to its sheath.

"Ahh but this is no ordinary blade," Asuma assured him. "This blade is made from a special metal that allows it's wielder to channel their chakra through it. In my case, I can channel wind chakra into it to make it razor sharp."

"Well then it's no use to me, now is it?" Naruto said dismissively as he tossed the knife back to the bearded monkey. "After all, I can't channel wind chakra, can I?"

"Now, now, let's not be hasty!" Asuma said quickly. "You might not be able to use the Hien, but you can still channel normal chakra to it, making it many times stronger than any normal blade. I'll give you the knife and teach you how to use it, and all I ask is that you stop trying to sabotage me and Kurenai. Deal?"

Get training from one of your enemies, lowering his guard in the process, and having an excuse to observe him closer and having a chance to arrange an "training accident" after wringing everything he knows out of him?

Naruto didn't even bother thinking about it. "Of course not. I don't need to sabotage you, sooner or later Kurenai will realize how worthless you really are on her own. That is, if your smoking doesn't drive her away first. Still, I'll take your knife and your training. But remember this, you Bearded Monkey. If you ever hurt Kurenai in any way…I'll kill you."

"Is that the best I can expect?" Asuma growled irritably. "Fine then, but don't think I'm going to put up with that attitude of yours. I expect you to call me sensei."

"Don't fuck with me." Naruto said quietly. "You'll regret it if you do."

"That sounded an awful lot like a threat, Naruto." Asuma said with a smirk. "How do you plan to keep it?"

Returning his smirk, Naruto reached into one of his pockets and withdrew a lighter and a packet of Asuma's favored cigarettes.

Naruto could see the confusion cross the man's face, but he ignored it in favor of listening to the sound of approaching footsteps. Familiar footsteps. Waiting a moment, Naruto tossed the lighter to Asuma and withdrew a single cigarette.

Just as the footsteps reached the apartment door, Naruto sent the Bearded Monkey a wicked smirk, before pasting an expression of uncertainty on his face. "I don't know, Asuma-san…" he said in a carrying voice. "Kurenai really disapproves of smoking and I don't think she'd like it if I started…"

Asuma had enough time to blink before the footsteps turned into angry stomps as Kurenai practically broke the door down in her haste to reach them. "Naru-chan, no!" she yelled as she snatched the cigarettes from his hand.

No sooner had she "stopped him" Kurenai turned an enraged glare on Asuma. "Asuma. Hall. Now." she growled angrily.

"Wha-" was as far as the confused Jounin made it before Kurenai grabbed him by his vest and yanked him to his feet. "Now!" she hissed as she dragged him out of the apartment.

Asuma managed to send an angry look back at him. Naruto just grinned and silently mouthed, _"I told you, don't fuck with me."_

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

The blade, and the training that came with, turned out to be more useful than he had anticipated. Unfortunately, Kurenai had yet to realize how much better she could do, and so, Asuma was still hanging around.

Even worse, he still hadn't been able to figure out the man's angle. He was such a good actor, there were times when Naruto almost believed the man was trying get his approval of him and Kurenai.

Of course, Anko and he were still watching him like a hawk, just waiting for him to screw up.

Shaking his head at Kurenai's ability to overlook such obvious faults, Naruto pulled on his jacket, happily noting how it still covered all of his equipment -including his combat knife- with the exception of the shuriken holster on his leg.

Satisfied, he tugged on his gloves and left via Shunshin.

Shortly after, he arrived outside of the Hyuuga compound. Much to his displeasure, Hinata was once again not waiting outside the compound. Grunting in annoyance, Naruto made his way to the gate and addressed one of the Branch family guards. "Where's Hinata?" The master of diplomacy, that's him.

"Hinata-sama is in a meeting with Hiashi-sama. She bids you to proceed to the Academy without her." the impassive Hyuuga answered.

"I'll wait." Naruto replied as he reluctantly made his way into the Hyuuga compound. The Hyuuga allowed him in as a matter of course. Which, unfortunately, it was.

Despite the fact that Kurenai's escort mission had ended three years ago, Naruto had found it necessary to continue picking up Hinata each day. Mainly because he'd found out that if he didn't, then Neji would make it a point to harass and belittle Hinata all the way to the Academy. And it had only taken her arriving at class in tears once for Naruto to learn that little fact.

Despite this, he absolutely hated going inside the Hyuuga compound. He always felt like he was walking through a field littered with faulty explosive tags whenever he did.

As he walked through the grounds, Naruto tried to avoid attracting the notice of the many tense Hyuuga that occupied them. Over the years, he'd pieced together enough information to know that the tension -which had only festered for the last six years- seemed to involve two different parts of the Hyuuga clan. The Main family -which was the group wearing better clothing, but possessing fewer numbers- and the Branch family -which was the group that seemed to have more shinobi in it.

He still didn't know what the conflict was about -as not even Hinata would talk about it- but he did know that Hinata felt terrible about it.

Resisting the urge to throw up his Konohagakure no Jutsu, Naruto quickly made his way to the main building, honing in on the room occupied by Hinata and her father by virtue of the tiny Hyuuga girl kneeling outside it.

Hanabi only glanced at him once, before sniffing and turning away.

Snorting, he ungracefully slid down the wall to sit next to her. "Hanabi." he greeted as he reached a hand under his jacket to fiddle with the shuriken holster under his arm, wondering if today would be the day he finally had to put it to use to fend off bloodthirsty Hyuuga.

"Don't talk to me." Hanabi ordered icily.

Eying a passing Branch Hyuuga -and calculating the quickest way to kill him if necessary- Naruto asked amusedly, "Don't tell me you're still mad that I don't like coming here? I told you, that doesn't have anything to do with you and Hinata."

"I suppose it's just a coincidence that when Kurenai-san made you come here, you always stopped in to see me, but as soon as she's not around, you suddenly can't be bothered to visit?" Hanabi growled threateningly as she turned to glare up at him. Well, as threatening as a tiny seven-year old with large eyes can be.

Calculating how difficult it would be to fight his way through a crowd of battling Hyuuga and scaling the perimeter wall, all the while carrying two Hyuuga girls over his shoulders, Naruto absentmindedly said, "Why yes, that's exactly what it is."

Hanabi crossed her arms with a huff, looking much less like a dignified Hyuuga princess, and more like a pouting little girl.

"What's wrong with you today anyway?" Naruto asked as he studied a Hyuuga that was working in the nearby gardens. He really didn't like the way the man was eyeing Hanabi and him. "You've walked to school with me and Hinata everyday for the last year. Doesn't that make up for me not visiting as often as I used to?"

When she didn't answer him, he turned to look down at her. He was surprised to find her looking glum and…good God, was that a tear!

Blinking, the dots connected rather quickly. Reaching over with his right hand, he ruffled her hair fondly. Hanabi of course, was quick to smack his hand away. She always got riled up when he touched her hair, ever since she turned five. Which of course, was why he still did it.

"Don't worry, Hanabi." he said soothingly. "I'll still visit after I become a Genin. And you could ask Konohamaru to walk with you in the mornings."

"You don't even visit now." she said with a pout and what sounded suspiciously like a sniffle. "And Konohamaru is an idiot, always going on about heroes and things like that."

"Oh come on," Naruto said playfully as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. He didn't really understand why, but both of Hiashi's daughters found the gesture relaxing. "He's not that bad. And you know he has a crush on you."

"I don't care about that!" Hanabi muttered as she wiped her eyes on his jacket, which he dutifully ignored. "He's just a little kid. The man I marry will be a powerful shinobi, with a lot of influence in the village! And he'll be tall! Not a snotty little brat like Konohamaru."

"He's only nine, Hanabi." Naruto chuckled teasingly. "Cut him some slack. He could turn out to be the next Hokage."

She just scowled at him and shrugged his arm off, apparently feeling much better now that they'd had their little talk.

Which was probably for the best, as the door next to them slid open, revealing an impassive Hiashi. Hanabi quickly jumped to her feet, and Naruto followed, albeit much less formally.

As usual, Hiashi glanced at him, muttered "Uzumaki." then turned to Hanabi and greeted, "Daughter." before walking off.

Hanabi returned his greeting with a respectful bow, while Naruto just ignored him. It wouldn't be entirely accurate to say the two didn't get along -as that would imply that they ever spent more than two or three minutes together- but generally speaking, Naruto didn't have a lot of respect for the man.

Hiashi might have had good intentions when he pushed his daughters as hard as he did, but the fact that he seemingly couldn't be bothered to let his daughters act like little girls when growing up sort of sucked up whatever respect he might have had for the man.

"Nii-sama, Imouto," Hinata's voice broke him from his thoughts. "What are you doing here? I asked Naji-san to tell you two to go on ahead without me."

Blinking, Naruto turned to Hanabi. "Which one's Naji?" he asked confusedly. Really, most of the Hyuuga looked the same to him.

"He's the one guarding the gate." Hanabi supplied helpfully.

"Oh." he nodded in thanks before turning back to Hinata. "Yeah, you did."

She looked like she wanted to say something about how they didn't have to wait on her, so Naruto decided to change the subject. It would save them time in the long run.

"Come on, we'd better get going before Hanabi's babysitter shows up looking for her." he said as he ruffled said girl's hair again, eliciting a scowl as she chased after him, Hinata following close behind.

"I told you, she's not a babysitter!" Hanabi protested as they left the Hyuuga compound.

"Who's not a babysitter?" a young woman's voice asked. The two Hyuugas jumped at the sudden intrusion, though Naruto just glanced in the direction it came from.

Standing there waiting for them was a young Chuunin. She appeared to be in her early twenties and had long, purple hair that reached down to her waist. She was only an inch or two taller than him, standing at about five-foot-six with dark eyes.

"Yuugao." he greeted neutrally, only to receive a light jab from Hanabi's elbow.

"Please forgive him, Yuugao-san. Naruto-niichan needs to work on his manners." Hanabi apologized even as she sent a disapproving glare his way.

The Chuunin only smiled slightly and shook her head ruefully. In the year that she had been escorting Hanabi, the purple haired woman had been nothing but professional and polite.

Which, while going a long ways in making the younger Hyuuga feel comfortable around a complete stranger, only made Naruto tense. Generally speaking, people weren't polite and professional to him. They were more often nervous, frightened, indifferent, cold, angry, or downright hateful, rather than polite and professional.

"Shall we get going, Hanabi-san?" the Chuunin asked politely, breaking him from his thoughts.

The younger Hyuuga nodded before quickly grabbing her sister's hand, dragging her off in the general direction of the Academy, Yuugao and he falling in behind them.

Well, Yuugao fell in behind them. Naruto fell in behind Yuugao, marveling at how willingly the woman let her hair hang freely. It was almost as if she was encouraging him to use her hair to restrain her as he drove his blade into her spine. Which of course made him think there was some reason why she'd _want_ an opponent to try to grab her hair.

Shaking his head to clear it of the bloody images, he turned his mind to the Hyuuga girls happily chatting without a care in the world.

As he watched them, Naruto couldn't help but marvel over how close the two sisters were. No one looking at the two Hyuugas would ever guess that they were constantly pitted against each other in no holds sparring matches by their father. Or that the nigh prodigious younger sister was the one who usually won.

At first, Naruto had assumed that it was some kind of sisterly love that kept Hinata from really trying to win the matches. Given her gentle nature, he figured Hinata didn't want to hurt Hanabi, and so held back during their matches.

That assumption was rather brutally dispersed the first time the three had trained together. The first match up had been Naruto versus Hinata, with Hanabi acting as the judge. He had sparred with the Hyuuga often enough to know the match wouldn't last long if he didn't hold back. He also knew that, unlike him, repeatedly beating the shit out of her would not drive her to make determined strides to win, or at least lessen the beatings. No, all that came of such brutal beat downs was an even more depressed Hinata.

She worked best by receiving innocuous tips, and positive comments on what she did right. Sure, the matches lasted longer than was strictly necessary, but at least they helped Hinata improve.

Their match went more or less as expected, and Naruto ended it after a few minutes when it became obvious that Hanabi was getting impatient.

A short break later, and it was Hanabi's turn. Given the girl's youth and relative inexperience, Naruto expected the match to end within the first few seconds. So he was quite surprised to learn that Hinata didn't always lose because of some sentimental sibling love. She lost because Hanabi was just that good.

He was so surprised when she was able to get in a few hits, that he reacted in his usual instinct, and overwhelmed the young girl with crushing force. Start to finish, the spar lasted forty-five seconds before he ended it. In that time, Hanabi had managed to strike him nearly a dozen times, mostly in the upper legs and lower torso.

He was so shocked; he almost didn't hear Hanabi demand a rematch. Curious, he nodded and they began again. This time she only managed to hit him once in the five second spar.

He was pleasantly surprised to note that Hanabi reacted to an ass beating the same way he did. She got a look of burning determination in her eyes and demanded another rematch. Which he obliged, finding something extremely cathartic about being on the other side of a brutal beat down for once.

So he knew that Hanabi really was that good at the Jyuken, and as such, her victories were well deserved. He even told her that from time to time, gaining a beaming smile -and a small blush- in return.

Of course, Hinata had also improved tremendously since he had first met her. She was still soft-spoken, and she was still shy about speaking her mind to anyone she didn't know well, but at least she no longer exuded that aura of panic and fear, and she'd long since stopped scurrying around like a mouse.

Skill-wise, she was probably Genin level all around, though she was only average at the Hyuugas Taijutsu, and her kind nature would probably get her hurt someday if she didn't keep it from interfering with her judgment. But then, that was probably something her Jounin-sensei would take care of.

Feeling a pair of eyes on him, he glanced over at Yuugao. The Chuunin was openly studying him with a curious/cautious look on her face. "Naruto-san," she began quietly, seemingly wanting to leave the two Hyuuga out of the conversation. "Are you expecting a war?"

Naruto blinked at that. "Why do you ask?" he asked to buy time while he tried to figure out the meaning behind her sudden statement. Did she know about his plans? And if so, how had she found out and who had she told? And how could he silence them?

"Well, I know one should be prepared when taking their Genin exam," she began with a thread of carefully manifested laughter in her voice. "But you're dressed for bear."

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto had to make a conscious effort not to put any more distance between the two. Bad enough that she had apparently picked up on his gear, but she had also just tried to make a joke. Unusual when coming from the normally reserved kunoichi. "Just trying to be prepared for the exam." he muttered as they came within sight of the Academy.

"Ah." Yuugao chuckled with some real emotion this time. "Well, I think you'll be quite…surprised…at the exam."

Before he could question her further she said her goodbyes to Hanabi and Shunshined away. Frowning, he wondered if there was something genetic that made purple haired kunoichi irritating.

As he debated the merits of his theory, he followed the Hyuuga sisters past a crowd of girls waiting anxiously by the entrance. Thankfully, they weren't waiting on him anymore.

For the first two years, he had been plagued by a number of girls from all classes of the Academy who felt they were the ones to "help the mysterious Anbu/Oinin/bloodline wielder recover from his bloody past". Needless to say, he had considered the merits of murdering them all in their sleep. He'd heard about some guy in Kumo, or Kiri, or Kusa, or someplace like that who had done something similar. And they'd made _him_ one of their top Jounin.

Fortunately, the idiotic girls found something else to invest their time in. Namely, one Sasuke Uchiha. When Naruto had first discovered that, he had proclaimed that to be one of the best days of his life, much to the dismay of those students who heard him. Which was apparently warranted, as he'd later learned that the entire Uchiha clan -with the exception of Sasuke- had been wiped out.

He had made sure to stop by and pay his respects after class that day, as the Uchiha, while a bunch of stiff-necked pricks, had always done their job whenever one of them came across him being heckled. Of course, he knew they were only doing their jobs, but they did still help him out from time to time.

Once that was done, he promptly put the whole thing behind him. The situation with the Massacre didn't really affect him in any way, and he only paid enough attention to know that the Inuzuka clan were the ones who were given the…honor…of taking over responsibility for the Konoha Military Police, assisted in the transfer by a large contingent of Anbu.

And he really only knew that much because Hanabi mentioned some members of the Hyuuga clan being upset that they didn't get the job.

Exchanging goodbyes and good lucks respectively, Naruto and Hinata left Hanabi near her class room and made their way to their own.

Upon arriving, Naruto wasn't really surprised to see Sasuke had bypassed his "fan girls" altogether, and had already arrived.

The two weren't exactly rivals, per say, as that implied that they both cared about which was acknowledged as better. Naruto didn't.

The younger boy on the other hand, had been quite adamant about trying to beat him, at first in order to live up to his brother's reputation and his father's expectations, then, after the massacre, he focused on getting stronger as quickly as he could.

Naruto just happened to be one of the few in their class who could offer him a serious challenge, and the only one to beat him on a regular basis.

Not to say that the boy wasn't quite good, as he'd probably be the Rookie of the Year if Naruto wasn't around. The difference in ability was a combination of Naruto's early mastery of the "Basic Three" -as the three main Academy jutsu were called- the age difference, including all the advantages that came with it, and the fact that Naruto often studied ahead in his free time, while Sasuke preferred to devote most of his spare time to training.

Of course, the fact that Naruto routinely went up against massively superior opponents -forcing him to learn to fight smarter, not harder- certainly helped against the younger boy, who's only opponents were other Academy students.

Then there was their differing philosophies. Sasuke preferred to fight straight up, strength against strength and speed against speed, etc. Naruto on the other hand, fought through the use of misdirection, tactics, and down right "cheating". Though he too fought head on when he found it necessary.

Sasuke would also devote his time to mastering unbelievably complex maneuvers that ended with eight shuriken in the center of a target. A masterful show of dexterity and skill. Naruto just put eight shuriken in the center of the target.

Sasuke would strain to exceed the requirements of any jutsu. If the instructor asked him to Kawarimi with a chair, he would Kawarimi with three or four in quick succession. If he was asked to Henge into the Hokage, he would "transform" into the perfect picture of the Old Man, down to the pipe and "smoke" rising from it. If asked to create a single Bunshin, Sasuke would create five or six.

Naruto on the other hand, strived to use the minimal amount of chakra, in the minimal amount of seals, with minimal warning of his impending actions.

Glancing past the "Last Uchiha", Naruto and Hinata made their way to their respective seats. Once settled in, he glanced around for his other friend. Shikamaru was, as usual, sleeping with his head on his desk, his close friend Chouji Akimichi munching away at his side.

He and the Akimichi had never really gotten along, as Naruto felt that a fat ninja was pathetic, regardless of what technique they could use as a result, and Chouji took offense to that. Still, they tolerated each other to a degree because of their mutual friendship with the Nara heir.

His other "acquaintance" Shino Aburame was seated a row below him. The two had a mutual respect for each other, Naruto because the Aburame was one of the few in the class who acted like a shinobi and Shino because Naruto never insulted his fascination with bugs.

There were only a few others that really merited his attention. Unfortunately, none of them were because of their "outstanding" qualities. Kiba Inuzuka was a loud, annoying, brash boy, who was constantly talking shit to everyone else in the class. He felt that the fact he could back up most of his talk justified his actions. Sasuke, Naruto, and occasionally Shino, took turns putting the mutt in his place.

But this wasn't why Naruto disliked the boy. It was because Hinata often giggled at "Kiba-kun's" antics, and Kiba seemed to think that made it ok to try to flirt with her.

Naruto wasn't surprised that the Inuzuka wasn't intimidated by his presence, but he really thought the mutt would have figured out that Naruto was always especially brutal during the spars that happened after he flirted with Hinata.

There were a couple others, but they only really stood out due to their ungodly ability to annoy him everyday.

"Pinky" as he called the one whose name he couldn't be bothered to remember, was, in a word, a bookworm. She could quote pretty much every text book, and if it wasn't for her dismal physical skills, he might have been impressed. In fact, she was the only one who had a higher grade than him on the written assignments and tests, though that was only because of the one day near the start of their fourth year that he skipped.

It was just the one day, because later on that morning, he'd found a panicked, hyperventilating Hinata banging on the door of his apartment, terrified that something had happened to her "Nii-sama". There were times when the girl's adoration of him worried Naruto, but he honestly couldn't think of anything to do about it.

Yamanaka competed with Pinky for the title of most annoying. Other then that, he honestly couldn't be bothered to remember anything about her except that her physical abilities were more or less on par with Pinky. That is, utterly pathetic.

Tired of watching the…children…chattering with each other, Naruto instead turned to stare out the window, focusing on other, more important things. Namely, what his next move was going to be.

Assuming that he made Genin -and he had no reason to believe he wouldn't- his next obstacle would be his Genin team. Dealing with them could be quite the hassle, especially if he got stuck with some third rate Jounin and a couple of the more pathetic kids in his class. Hopefully, his "teammates" wouldn't get him killed, and his sensei could teach him a few things, as well as improving on the skills he already possessed.

Once Naruto got things settled with his team, his goal would be to reach Chuunin, all the while avoiding any assassination attempts and suicide missions that the Old Man would probably come up with. Once he accomplished that, he'd have to try to wrangle out a way to get transferred to Kurenai's team. That would settle a lot of his worries, and possibly give him the chance to pick apart some of her most complex Genjutsu.

Of course, if he was extremely lucky -unlikely given his prior experience- he might get placed on Kurenai's team from the start. _'Yeah…' _he mentally snorted. _'That'll happen… and while I'm at it, maybe the spirit of the Kyuubi no Kitsune will return to act as my own private guardian angel.'_

Then of course, there was his main goal in life. He had a lot of unanswered questions, and the last ten years had only added to them. Once he made Chuunin, he'd have to start building up his influence, politically speaking. Having the right friends in the right places could make his job far simpler. Unfortunately, he had come to the conclusion that having numerous friends and comrades amongst the Shinobi population -while very effective in a fight- would not be the best way to back the Old Man into a corner.

After all, he had no intention of sparking off a civil war or rebellion. Especially since he'd then be obligated to fight in it. Not to mention the danger of accidentally killing off those who could answer his questions. As such, getting his answers through force would have to be a last resort.

No, he'd need political power to pull that off. The problem though, was how to go about getting it. The political -and possibly financial- backing of the various daimyo, both within Hi no Kuni and without, would go a long ways in outmaneuvering the Old Man.

But it was very unlikely that Naruto could gain that backing as a Genin, hence the need to become Chuunin. Even then, he'd need quite a bit of skill and power to get his name out into circulation among the various clients. And there was always the danger that the backing of a daimyo would be a good thing one day, and an unforgivable sin the next. Such was the world of politics.

His next best option would be to gain the support of the various clan heads in Konoha. A daunting task to say the least. Well, it was that, or try to gain the "friendship and loyalty" of some of the leaders of the other Hidden Villages. Long odds that.

He was shaken from his ponderings by a familiar pair of voices calling for order. It seemed that his "instructors" had arrived.

Tuning out Iruka's lecture, Naruto studied the two Chuunin. Iruka Umino had been his instructor for the last six years, and despite Naruto's standing at the top of the class, the two didn't get along very well.

From the moment they met, Naruto could tell that Iruka held some sort of grudge against him, and even though Naruto had never sparked a confrontation with him -so as to avoid creating an "incident" where he could "accidentally" be killed- the man seemed irked by the ease with which Naruto "learned" his lessons, and Iruka downright despised his habit of being brutally honest whenever asked for an assessment of one of his classmates performances.

Add in the fact that Naruto rarely bothered to listen -or make the effort to hide his inattention- whenever Iruka covered something he already knew -which happened quite frequently- and they had a rather fragile relationship. _'At least he got over his grudge after the first year.' _Naruto pointed out to himself. After all, the man never did anything but his best when it came to teaching him, and for that, Naruto gave the man a moderate amount of respect.

The other Chuunin was Mizuki Touji, one of the instructors who assisted wherever he was needed, and taught Taijutsu the rest of the time.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto studied the silver haired Chuunin in closer detail. The man had always been good about concealing his emotions, always presenting a friendly façade to those around him, regardless of what he was really feeling. Now however, his front was looking pretty shaky, and the man had an exhausted look about him. Not physical tiredness, but if he had to guess, Naruto would say the man was approaching his limits.

'_Odd,' _Naruto mused to himself. _'I didn't think the stress of being an Academy instructor would wear on a battle-hardened Chuunin enough to strain him…'_

"Now, on to the Genin Exam." Iruka called out, drawing Naruto's attention away from the other Chuunin. "This is your final test to determine who does, and who does not become a Genin. I hope you've all prepared yourselves for this."

Naruto quickly discarded all other thought as he focused on the scarred instructor's words. He'd been preparing for this day for six ungodly long years, and he was sure he was ready for it. Still, he couldn't completely still his mind, despite his best efforts, as he wondered what the Exam would be.

Probably not like Kiri's, where Naruto had heard the students were forced to fight to the death in order to claim their hitae-ate, but maybe something similar? A no holds bar match between individual students, or maybe even against a Chuunin? Surely that would be the best way to assess the potential Genin's qualifications.

He watched Iruka gaze over the anxious students one last time before finally saying, "In order to pass the exam and become Genin…" the Chuunin paused, for what Naruto was sure was dramatic effect, before proclaiming, "You all must create three Bunshin!"

Naruto stared, waiting for the Chuunin to announce what the rest of the test would involve, only to be shocked when he turned to enter the testing room. Surely there _had_ to be something else to this test…right?

He waited as Shino was called first, only to be forced to restrain the powerful urge to stab something when the Aburame returned less than a minute later with a hitae-ate on his forehead.

"No…you've got to be shitting me!" he muttered angrily. "All these years…all those bullshit tests and putting up with these kids…coming to class practically everyday…doing every piece of homework ever assigned…and the only thing they require to graduate is the _fucking Bunshin_! The thing that I've been able to do for nearly a _decade_!" Naruto couldn't remember the last time he was this angry.

And what's more, Yuugao's cryptic "dressed for bear" remark now made complete sense. The woman had _known _what the test would involve. She had known and thought his…overkill… was funny. Naruto seethed. "This is fucking ridiculous! How could _anyone _fail such a pathetic test? How the fuck does the Bunshin qualify someone to be a ninja?"

Some thirty minutes later, Naruto found himself standing in front of Iruka and Mizuki. He didn't bother paying attention to their well wishes, and simply created the three Bunshin, then waited expectantly.

"Very good, Naruto-kun." Mizuki congratulated him as he handed over a hitae-ate. "Just what we'd expect from the Rookie of the Year."

Naruto took the hitae-ate and stuffed it in his jacket pocket, still seething in disbelieve at this farce of a test. Once he was dismissed, he turned on his heel and marched to the door, before pausing. "Sensei?" he asked as turned to face them. "Can I say something?"

Iruka and Mizuki blinked and exchanged glances before Iruka nodded.

"This "test" is a fucking joke. I don't know how the hell you two can sleep at night." Satisfied that he finally got that off his chest, Naruto left, leaving two stunned Chuunin behind.

* * *

Mizuki turned to Iruka in shock. "I think that might be the most he's ever voluntarily said in six years!"

* * *

Making his way out of the Academy, Naruto was not surprised to see Hinata and Hanabi among the crowd of parents congratulating their children. The parents of course, made sure they and their children kept their distance from him, which suited Naruto just fine. After all, it's rather difficult to sneak up and kill someone when you have no cover to utilize during your approach.

The two sisters spotted him the moment he exited the building, and quickly converged on him.

Hanabi reached him first by virtue of being more than willing to elbow her way through the crowd. She stopped in front of him as stared at him from head to toe. Frowning, she looked up at him in confusion. "Niichan?" she asked with a frown, just as Hinata reached them. "Where's your forehead protector?"

Hinata started at that, and she frantically scanned him from top to bottom as well, before turning a horrified look on him. This of course, did nothing to soothe the smaller Hyuuga.

Deciding that he had tortured them enough, Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled his out.

The two girls were visibly relieved, though Hanabi quickly replaced it with a look of curiosity. "Niichan, why aren't you wearing it?"

Naruto frowned slightly, unable to come up with an understandable reason for it, so instead he simply grunted, "Eh, I'll wear it when I'm on duty."

Hanabi's confusion remained, but luckily for him a suitable distraction arrived. "Congratulations, Naruto-kun! I hear you were named Rookie of the Year. Well done! I just wish Shikamaru would put in a fraction of your effort into his training and studying." Yoshino called as she dragged Shikamaru through the crowd towards them. "Congratulations to you too, Hinata-chan."

"Thank you, Yoshino-san." Hinata asked with a light blush. Hanabi gave a slight bow in greeting, then proceeded to scowl at the Nara heir. Apparently, Hanabi found if shameful for a clan heir to be lazy. Who knew?

"Isn't this so exciting?" Yoshino asked Hinata happily. "To think, you three would grow up so quickly. I'm so proud of all three of you."

Naruto smiled slightly, Hinata blushed deeper, and Shikamaru muttered, "Troublesome."

A few minutes of congratulations later, the Naras bid farewell and left for their home for a family celebration. Shortly after, Naruto walked Hinata and Hanabi home, accompanied as usual by Yuugao.

Once at the Hyuuga compound, Hinata and Hanabi bid him a farewell, and with a final congratulatory hug from Hanabi, headed inside for their own family function.

Yuugao vanished almost immediately after, and once he had discreetly searched the surroundings to confirm her departure, Naruto slowly made his way home, a slight frown on his face.

When he arrived, he reluctantly made his way up to the apartment he shared with Kurenai. Pausing outside the door, Naruto relaxed his muscles and let all of his senses fade away save one. Concentrating on his hearing, Naruto blocked out all ambient noises and focused. It was a little trick he had discovered that he had dubbed: Listening. The only drawback was his lack of awareness while his mind was focussed on hearing. Determining that there wasn't anyone breathing on this floor besides himself, he opened the door. Kicking off his sandals, he took in the apartment. Empty, just as he had expected.

With Kurenai dealing with the process of becoming a Jounin Sensei, the one person he wanted to celebrate his graduation -as pathetically easy as it had been- with, was unlikely to return home for the rest of the day.

Feeling somewhat lost, Naruto shed his coat and threw himself onto the couch. He had no Kurenai to celebrate with, and no one to train with, and his friend and "little sisters" were busy celebrating with their own families. And while both Yoshino, and a hopeful Hanabi had invited him to celebrate with them, he knew that he wouldn't be welcome.

His presence had the tendency to disrupt any social function, regardless of what one or two might want. He certainly wouldn't appreciate it if someone crashed the rare days he and Kurenai spent together as just the two of them. Besides, he wasn't exactly a...sociable person.

Sighing, he pulled himself up from the couch and wandered into the kitchen. Looking through the fridge and cupboards, Naruto looked for something to eat. Sighing a second time, he left the kitchen, not really hungry, so much as searching for something to occupy his time.

Wandering from room to room, Naruto contemplated what he could do. He went through scroll after Genjutsu scroll that Kurenai had allowed him access to. Unfortunately, he'd already mastered every one of the minor techniques she let him have, and while he could try to experiment with them, it would be near impossible to make any leeway without someone to actually test them on.

Glancing out the window, Naruto noticed that the sun was beginning it's descent behind the great forests that surrounded Konoha. He followed the setting sun with his eyes until half of it was hidden behind the village walls.

Shaking his head irritably, Naruto threw his jacket and sandals back on and dashed out the door. Moving quickly, he quickly vanished into the surrounding woods.

* * *

Hours later, as he slowed his katas while simultaneously walking on the side of a tree, Naruto paused as he heard something approaching his direction.

Moving higher up into the tree, Naruto settled onto a branch and instinctively threw his Konohagakure no Jutsu around himself as he stilled his breathing.

For nearly thirty seconds, Naruto waited for the approaching man -who was breathing so loud to Naruto's ears that he might as well have been next to him- to arrive in the clearing.

When the man finally arrived, Naruto instantly noticed the two giant shuriken strapped to his back, and the large scroll tucked under his arm. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto realized he knew the man. Mizuki paused and cautiously scanned the clearing, seemingly searching for something.

Curious, Naruto watched as the man squatted against a tree, before seemingly muttering to thin air. "...got it, but...Hokage...missing... for that...dare you! Orochimaru...realizes...important task...Forbidden...Seals?"

Naruto frowned as he moved a little closer to the man. With the wind carrying Mizuki's voice away, Naruto could barely make out any of his muttering, even with his hearing. Ready to dismiss the situatuion as "not my problem", Naruto turned to leave only to feel an indescribable urge to stay. Something inside him warned him that this was important.

Moving closer, he just managed to catch Mizuki growling into his...hand. "...red-eyed bitch pay for helping that_ thing_!"

All of his confusion at the situation vanished instantly, replaced with a raging hatred. To the best of his knowledge, there hadn't been anyone other than Kurenai with red eyes since the Uchiha massacre. That just would not do.

Snarling silently, Naruto drew his knife from its sheath and leapt down at the Academy Instructor. He reached the ground just behind the silver-haired Chuunin, and grabbed him by the straps holding the giant shuriken to his back.

Putting all his strength into it, Naruto pulled the Chuunin to his feet and slammed him into the tree he'd hidden in. Simultaneously, Naruto drove his chakra infused knife forward, intending to skewer the man to the tree.

But Mizuki wasn't a Chuunin for nothing, and even caught off guard, he managed to twist to the side enough to avoid an instant kill. He was merely pierced through his left arm instead.

Mizuki let off an anguished growl and lashed out with a kunai in his remaining hand, forcing Naruto to let go of his knife in order to jump back. This also caused the Chuunin to drop the large scroll he was carrying, allowing it unroll as it bounced a short distance away.

"You!" Mizuki yelled angrily as he struggled to pull himself free. "I'll kill you, you fucking bastard!"

"That's my line, you mother fucker." Naruto growled as he ran through two seals, disappearing in another Genjutsu. It was his own variation of Kurenai's Hana Yakuotoshi, only where Kurenai would disperse into flower petals, Naruto's body seemed to come apart and vanish with the wind.

Mizuki's eyes widened maniacally as he struggled to pull the knife from his arm. All he succeeded in doing was unpinning himself. "Where are you! Come out and face me, you monster!" Mizuki spat as he unfastened one of his shuriken.

"Why should I?" Naruto called out, using a minor technique to cause his voice to echo throughout the clearing. "After all, you'll be dead in a minute."

Mizuki sneered even as he spun around, trying to locate his position. "Dead? No, I'm far too important to die. Especially at the hands of a filthy little monster like you!"

"Monster?" Naruto asked in amusement, subconciouosly taking a sick pleasure in taunting the man. "Is that the best insult you can come up with? Sounds like you've been spending too much time around little kids. Why don't you go back to talking to your imaginary friend?"

Smirking at the rage on the man's face, Naruto cautiously circled around, careful to keep a close watch on his Konohagakure no jutsu. Kurenai and Anko were the only two who'd managed to see through it so far, but they also happened to be the only two he'd used it against in battle. It wouldn't do for Mizuki to be the third and last to do so.

Altering the voice throwing technique, Naruto made his voice sound out from the foliage above and behind Mizuki. "Time to die!" he said with a cackle.

Just as he anticipated, Mizuki spun around and hurled his shuriken into the trees blindly. Smirking coldly, Naruto darted in from the opposite direction, grabbed the handle of his knife -still protruding from the Chuunin's arm- and kept going, using his momentum to tear the blade from his arm, taking a decent chunk of flesh with it as he did so.

Mizuki let out another round of screams and curses as he grasped his wound with his remaining hand. "You fucking bastard! Ah…. I'll make you beg for death before I'm done with you!"

Naruto chuckled as he circled the clearing again, this time heading for the tree he had originally pinned the man to. As he passed the unrolled scroll, something about it caught his eye, glancing over at it, his eyes narrowed when he picked up the first lines. _Tajuu Kage Bunshin. A rank Ninjutsu._

Shocked, Naruto made his way up a nearby tree before addressing the snarling Chuunin. "Holy shit…is that _the_ Forbidden Scroll of Seals?"

Mizuki angry look was wiped away, to be replaced by one of incredulity. "Are you fucking serious? You mean you attacked me without even knowing what I've done? Then why did you attack me, you damn bastard?" Mizuki snarled as he drew a kunai.

"Because you called Kurenai a bitch." Naruto snarled angrily.

Mizuki eyes grew wide and he opened his mouth, only to pause. A moment later, he grinned. "Say, Naruto…how would you like to know why everyone hates you? Why you grew up alone and despised by this village? Why parents pull their children away from you?"

Naruto didn't bother to answer as he began circling the clearing again. When he was almost to his destination, Mizuki spoke again. "What do you say I tell you about the law the Sandaime made concerning you? A law that everyone knows about but you, because it's part of the law that you not know it exists."

That gave Naruto pause. He didn't think the delusional Chuunin could know anything concerning Naruto's questions, but the implication of a law concerning him wasn't something he could pass up. "Alright then," Naruto called again as he approached the Chuunin from behind. "Lets hear about this law of yours."

"It's a law that was made fourteen years ago…" Mizuki began with a wide grin and too wide eyes. "The Yondaime didn't really kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune, because the beast was practically immortal. No, he did the only thing he could do." Mizuki paused again, this time to laugh cruelly.

Naruto frowned as he approached the man from behind. _'What does the Kyuubi have to do with me and the Old Man?' _he wondered as he readied his knife. He was surprised by the man's reflexes once; he didn't intend to do so again.

"The law states, under penalty of death, that no one could tell anyone that the Kyuubi no Kitsune is still alive, sealed away inside of you! You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!" Mizuki cackled maniacally, only to be cut off when Naruto grabbed him by his bandanna Hitae-ate.

Jerking the silver-haired man's head back, Naruto drew his knife across the man's throat, once, twice, then he plunged the blade into and through the right side of the man's neck, all in quick succession. A fraction of a second later, he shoved man down and away from him, tearing off his hitae-ate in the process.

"You know," Naruto began conversationally as he wiped his blade off on Mizuki's bandanna. "If you're going to try to come up with some earth shattering revelation to throw someone off guard, you should probably come up with something that's actually believable. Me, the Kyuubi no Kitsune? Come on. If I was the Fox, then the Old Man would have killed me the day I was born." Throwing the bloodied cloth down on the thrashing, gurgling Chuunin, Naruto sent him an annoyed look. "And don't you think I'd know if I had a giant fox shoved inside me? I mean, that's the kind of thing I'd notice, don't you think?"

When silence was his only answer, Naruto glanced down at the former Academy Instructor. His eyes were glazed over, and his body had stilled, the blood pouring from his neck slowed to a trickle, signifying that he'd bled out already.

"It's too bad…" Naruto muttered as he approached the Forbidden Scroll. "I had this whole lecture on why you should never have threatened Kurenai that I was going to give you. Oh well."

Shrugging to himself, Naruto crouched down by the large, partially unrolled scroll. "Now, what do I do with you?" he asked himself as he nudged the scroll open further.

On the one hand, he could gain tremendous support if he sold some of these jutsu off, or even learned some for himself. On the other hand, the Old Man would probably turn the whole village upside down to get this back, and if Naruto was found with it, the Old Man would be able to declare him a traitor, marked for death by the entire village. Even worse, Kurenai might get dragged down with him. Besides, the jutsu on that scroll were Kinjutsu for a reason. Even the ones that wouldn't kill the user were too dangerous to have in the hands of just anyone.

Sighing, Naruto decided it would be for the best to leave the scroll there. After all, there was nothing tying him to either Mizuki's crime, or his death, and it would probably be best to keep it that way.

Standing, he moved to leave when something caught his eye on the scroll. Looking closer he saw the words A rank Genjutsu. "Hello…" Naruto muttered interestedly as he nudged the scroll open further. The highest ranking Genjutsu he'd ever heard of was a B ranked Magen that Kurenai had told him about, but stubbornly refused to teach him.

'_Kokuangyou no Jutsu- An A rank Genjutsu, this technique is an extremely powerful/complicated Genjutsu that is almost impossible for most Shinobi to break out of. Requiring larger than average chakra reserves and high control, the Kokuangyou distorts a physical area to the point that it's rendered opaque, causing the caster and their opponent/s to be enveloped in total darkness. While in the black void, both user and opponent will be unable to see any threat or attack, forcing them to rely entirely on their other senses. _

_The Kokuangyou was labeled a Kinjutsu by the Sandaime Hokage, due to the high chakra requirements and the prerequisete of training to fight with the complete absence of sight. With so few meeting both requirements, this technique is restricted to the select few approved by the Hokages.'_

Below the description were the complete instructions and necessary hand signs. Studying them intently, Naruto focused on committing them to memory, despite a corner of his mind wondering, _'If these are all Kinjutsu, why do they put the instructions for them with them? It seems kind of pointless…'_

Well, it wasn't his concern, and feeling that he had pushed his luck enough for one day, Naruto quickly left, taking care to leave no sign of his passing.

Unseen by him was a tiny snake, smaller than an earthworm, laying in the grass near where Mizuki had been talking to himself. The snake's eyes narrowed in interest, before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

Mizuki's body, and the Forbidden Scroll, would be discovered by Anbu less than half an hour later.

* * *

The sun had long since set by the time he made it back home, mainly because of all the side trips he'd made to throw off any would be pursuers. When he did finally arrive, he was pleased to see that the lights were on, meaning that Kurenai had finally returned from her meeting with the Old Man.

It hadn't really sunk in that he had killed a man, until he was back in the village proper. Even then, it hadn't affected him the way he knew it should. After all, he had killed the man in cold blood, and it wasn't because he was a traitor.

No, he had killed the man because he had called Kurenai a bitch, even if it was indirectly. In fact, Naruto knew that he intended to kill the man the moment he uttered those words. And that was neither normal, nor rational. It was pure, uncompromising rage. The same rage that drove him to attack Anko in a blind fury all those years ago.

Looking back on it, he realized that he'd had every intention of killing her then too. It was only Kurenai's efforts that calmed him down.

There was no way around it, he had murdered a man that he was legally obligated to detain and bring in for interrogation.

He knew all of this, yet it didn't frighten him in any way. What did frighten him was the realization that he didn't care. He had never before realized just how strong a hold Kurenai had over him, and he didn't think she was even aware of the lengths he would go to for her.

Suddenly feeling very tired, Naruto Shunshined straight to his room, where he discarded his jacket and took off his leather harness and his belt that held most of his pouches. Moments later, they were joined by his gloves and leg holster and he kicked off his shoes, remembering at the last second to take them out to the door.

Yawning, he left his room only to stop mid-stride at the sight that greeted him. On the kitchen table was several bowls of ramen, and what appeared to be a cake. Sitting around the table were Kurenai, -as expected- Anko, -as expected but hoping against- Genma, Asuma, and Konohamaru.

As one, the table's occupants turned to look at him. Kurenai was the first to break the silence. "There you are. I was starting to think you'd miss supper." she scolded slightly as she strode over to him and wrapped him in a hug. "Congratulations, Naru-chan." she whispered in his ear as she squeezed him tightly.

"Yeah, yeah, the brat managed to pass those lame exams. Can we eat now?" Anko whined from her spot on the counter, kicking her feet irritably.

Asuma muttered something that caused Genma to burst out laughing, even as Konohamaru rushed up to Naruto excitedly. "Way to go, Naruto! I knew you could do it! What was the Genin Exam like? Did ya have to fight a tough ninja? Ooh, or did ya have to outsmart one of the Anbu?"

Unfortunately, Naruto had years of practice in ignoring Konohamaru's chattering. The kid had started pestering him almost from the day they met, always begging him to teach him something, or help him with his shuriken practice, or pleading for Naruto to tell him about his "awesome adventures" and what it was like being a "hero" of all things.

In short, he had annoyed Naruto on a regular basis for the last six years.

Naruto glanced over at the table as he gave Konohamaru some vague answers. Oddly enough, the boy seemed to take that as "it's a secret" and stopped asking what the test was like.

Meanwhile, Genma offered him a smirk and a "Good job, kid." while Anko complained about the cake being too small for her to hide in, and how Kurenai was being stingy for not letting her give Naruto a "private dance" whatever the hell that meant. The fact that she was running her hands up and down her body as she said that however, got a mixture of disgust from him, while causing his blood to flow places that he'd rather it not go, especially because of _Anko_.

Still, as he sat down to his ramen, Naruto couldn't help but smile wider than he had in a long time.

He had wanted to spend a meal with Kurenai in celebration…but with the exception of Asuma's presence, this wasn't all that bad either.

Putting the night's events and the upcoming team placements out of his mind, Naruto concentrated on his meal and enjoying what could be his last peaceful night with Kurenai.

After all, he was a Genin now, and the danger and difficulties were only going to get worse from here on out. Thinking about his possible new Genjutsu, Naruto smiled slightly. Whatever the future held, he'd be ready for it, and he'd meet it head on.

* * *

**Translations**

Konohagakure no Jutsu=Hidden in the Tree Leaves Technique. Or to Naruto, Hiding in the Tree Leaves Technique. The irony of this still kills me.

Hana Yakuotoshi= First word is flower, second is Escape from Evil or exorcism. (That flower petal escape thing she does in the anime, I made the name up.)

Magen=Demonic Illusion

Kokuangyo=Journey into Black Darkness(technique used by the Shodai/Nidaime in the Manga/Anime respectively.

Nii-sama=Highly respectful way of saying brother

Nii-san=Polite way of saying brother

Imouto=Little sister

* * *

**AN:**And that is chapter sixteen. Hanabi will probably call Naruto Ni-san, unless I find a good reason not to. She's basically known him all her life. Next, Naruto's outfit is basically Leon Kennedy's from Resident Evil 4, minus the guns and gun accessories. It always confused me as to why so many authors have Naruto instantly accept and believe Mizuki when he tells him about the Kyuubi. After all, the guy is trying to kill him, has already lied to him, is saying that everything the village kids have been taught about the Kyuubi was a lie, and Jinchuuriki are apparently not a widely known topic in Konoha, seeing as how no one in Naruto's generation knows anything about them. So shouldn't he have at least some disbelief? And on the subject of the Genin Exam, despite the way I have Naruto react to it, the academy makes sense to me based on my own military training in that you have to pass each individual part, like say, convoy operations, the pt test, mounted weapons etc, before doing the final "test" which is a field training exercise that combines all the things you've already done. In the Naruto verse, this would be the Genin Test administered by the Jounin. Anyway, updates will probably remain slow due to my whole deployment thing.

Well, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	18. Chapter 17

Words-127,315, Chapters-18, Reviews-536, Hits-198,644, C2s-99, Favs-788, Alerts-943

* * *

**AN:** Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. Don't forget to check out my challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 17 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Naruto grunted in pain as he slammed into the ground. Snarling, he pushed himself to his feet and dashed into the forest, intent on putting as much distance between himself and his opponent as possible.

Looking back on the last few days, Naruto was struck by just how quickly things had gone to shit.

* * *

**Flashback**

The day started off more or less fine. Naruto had been placed on a team with Sasuke -which wasn't that bad- and one Sakura Haruno, better known to him as Pinky. That was unacceptable.

Not only was the girl _horribly_ unskilled, but she was so obsessed with the Uchiha that she could barely maintain awareness of her surroundings whenever the boy was around.

Outside of her rather impressive ability to study to the point of memorization, the girl had no redeeming features, and would almost definitely be the first to die. Unless of course, she got one of the others killed first.

So, while he was skilled in Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and weapons use, Sasuke covered Ninjutsu, was fairly decent in Taijutsu, and was ingenious when it came to traps and basic weapons use, Sakura contributed…what exactly? Sure, the odds of every team being balanced was next to impossible but really? Did he have to be the one to get stuck with one of the leftovers?

Unfortunately, despite his best attempts, he had been unsuccessful in convincing Iruka to change the teams. As a result, he had been forced to listen to Sakura's attempt to threaten him into silence and gush over how exciting it was to be on "Sasuke-kun's" team. She would probably have had more luck if she hadn't been so obviously nervous at the time.

A little more than an hour later, team 7 was left alone in the room, the other eight teams having been collected by their respective Jounin.

Kurenai had arrived first, and after sending a beaming smile his way, had claimed Hinata -much to Naruto's relief- Shino, and Kiba - much to his dismay.

Needless to say, Naruto intended to have a long conversation with the Inuzuka concerning what was and was not acceptable behavior when with Hinata. Regardless of what the girl might say about how "cute" or "funny" she thinks it is.

Shino on the other hand, he was fairly certain he didn't have to worry about. The Aburame was always respectful of those around him, and rarely showed an interest in anything but insects. Still, maybe he should have a chat with him as well? Just to make sure he understood what would happen to him if anything happened to Kurenai and Hinata.

Asuma arrived shortly after, and picked up Shikamaru's team, which was comprised of Chouji and Yamanaka.

After that, he didn't bother paying attention to the other students or the Jounin who came to get them. If anything, he was hoping he'd never have to see them again.

Instead, Naruto focused on his new "teacher". What would the man be like? Would he be a tolerable man, or just another one of the Old Man's tools?

And what could he learn from this Kakashi Hatake? How long would it take him to make Chuunin under the man's command?

These thoughts and more ran through Naruto's mind. For the first half-hour anyway. The second half was spent inventing new curse words that could be used to describe the absent Jounin.

When the man finally arrived, Naruto was less than impressed. The man had spiky silver hair, and was dressed more or less in the standard Jounin uniform. The only part that stood out was the mask that covered everything from the man's eyes down to his collarbone -perhaps even connecting to the man's shirt- and the hitae-ate he wore tilted so that it covered his left eye. What was visible of the man's face revealed a dark eye that held a look of bored disinterest.

"Well," Kakashi suddenly said, cutting off Sakura and Naruto before they could confront the man in their own ways. "You three are certainly boring."

While Sakura spluttered in protest, Naruto threw out a simple, "Fuck you, Cyclops." Certainly not the most original of lines, but hey, if it ain't broke…

Sakura stared at him in disbelief and horror, while Sasuke merely held a look of disdain. Naruto didn't even bother to tune out Sakura's attempt at scolding him, instead studying the Jounin for his response.

Much to everyone's surprise, the man just gave a slight smile at Naruto's words. "Hmm, so at least two of you are a little feisty. Maybe this will be more fun than I thought…"

He blinked at that, expecting a Jounin to be far stricter with his Genin. Before he could come up with a response, the man cheerfully ordered "Meet me on the rooftop in three minutes." Before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Where the leaves came from, Naruto didn't know.

Frowning, he rose from his seat. Silencing Sakura's complaints with a look, Naruto exchanged glances with Sasuke before speaking. "Let's go." And with that, he disappeared in a Shunshin of his own.

When he appeared on the roof, Naruto quickly scanned the area before setting his sights on Kakashi, who was leaning against a railing. As their eyes met, Naruto was shocked to see what seemed to be a slight widening of his visible eye.

_'Is that...surprise? It can't be… what could have caused it? That I actually came? Or...could it be because I used the Shunshin?' _Before he could reach a conclusion, he blinked. When his eyes opened again, the man looked just as bored as ever. Brushing it off as a trick of the light, Naruto came to a halt five feet away from the man.

Again with that smile-like contortion of his mask.

Suddenly nervous at how little he could read this man, Naruto casually moved to his right, setting himself at a forty-five degree angle from the man, careful to maintain his distance.

That should allow him a few extra seconds to react if the man made a move.

Kakashi watched all this with a lazy eye, yet somehow gave off an aura of laughter.

Naruto tensed angrily at that. The man thought Naruto's precautions were funny. As if anything he could do was pathetically useless.

He despised being mocked.

Fortunately -though it was questionable for whom- Sasuke and Sakura arrived on the roof just then.

Once the two reached them, they stood with Sasuke to his left, with Sakura on the Uchiha's.

"Well," Kakashi said cheerfully as he gave them that smile of his. "Why don't you all take a seat?"

Sasuke and Sakura took his invitation and seated themselves on the steps right in front of their new sensei.

Naruto remained where he was.

"Naruto!" Sakura hissed in what she thought was a quiet voice. "Don't be rude! Sit down before you get us in trouble!"

"Now, now." Kakashi interrupted lazily. "He doesn't need to if he doesn't want to."

Sakura blushed slightly even as she quickly bowed her head in acquiesce. "Hai, Sensei."

"Good. Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves?" Kakashi ordered as he perched himself on the railing pointing at Sakura. "Why don't you go first..."

Catching the hint, she introduced herself. "My name is Sakura Haruno..." She began before trailing off. "Um...Sensei? What exactly do you want to know?" She asked somewhat nervously.

"Oh, you know, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future...things like that." Kakashi explained disinterestedly. When Sakura continued to look uncertain, he added, "Here, I'll give you an example. My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes are...hmmm I wonder...well, my dislikes are...yeah. My dream for the future is...well, I have a lot of hobbies."

Seemingly unaware of the looks he was getting, Kakashi pointed at the sole female. "Go ahead, Sakura." he said in a voice that somehow combined encouragement and boredom, though Naruto didn't have a clue as to how.

"Um, right." Sakura nodded with a glance at Sasuke before perking up. "Well, my name is Sakura Haruno, and the thing I like…I mean, the person I like is…" she trailed off with a blush and giggle. "My hobbies are…" cue glance at Sasuke, followed by blush. "My dream is to- oh I couldn't!" she practically squealed, leaving a painful ringing sound in Naruto's sensitive ears. "My dislikes are…" she glanced at Naruto this time, though with a great deal of uncertainty in her eyes. "Rude people." she finished rather quietly.

Kakashi nodded as if pleased by her answer. "Very good, Sakura. Now, why don't you go next." he suggested to Sasuke with another head gesture.

"My name is Sasuke _Uchiha_. There aren't many things that I like, and there are a lot of things I dislike. I don't have any hobbies, and as for my dream? Well, I prefer to think of it as something more like an ambition. To resurrect my clan…and to kill a certain man."

Sakura gasped in something resembling awe, while Kakashi and Naruto faces showed little as to what they thought about it.

"All right then!" Kakashi said with a clap. "And now to our resident Rookie of the Year."

All three looked at him to varying degrees. Sakura turned in her seat to face him fully, a look of unabashed curiosity on her face. Sasuke turned his head just enough to focus one eye on him, questions teeming beneath the surface. And last but not least, Kakashi looked…bored. Yet he once again gave off the feeling that he was laughing.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto met the Jounin's eye, his hard eyes boring into the bored eye of the man. "Naruto Uzumaki." he said simply before falling silent. He had absolutely no intention of giving these people anything that could be used against him.

"Aren't you going to answer the rest?" Sakura asked impatiently.

"No." He grunted in reply, still matching Kakashi's stare.

Not much else had happened that day, other than Kakashi revealing the "Real Genin Test" that was administered by the individual Jounin -which in retrospect, made the Genin Exam the day before seem a little more reasonable. Kakashi had warned them to be at Training Ground 7 the next morning, and to be prepared for a fight. Oh, and he also warned them not to eat breakfast, a warning that Naruto dutifully ignored. After all, Anko had already played that trick on him before.

When he returned home that night, he found Kurenai waiting for him, and after a brief conversation on the Genin Test -as Kurenai refused to divulge much in the ways of details- she had wished him luck, and told him how proud she was of him, filling his chest with a warm feeling, then kissed him goodnight as she had a "meeting with a few of the other Jounin to discuss their respective tests". Her last words as she left were "Don't be afraid to count on your teammates".

He frowned at the insinuation that he would need help, and downright scowled at the obvious excuse that was the "meeting".

He was pretty sure that she was just going on another "date" with Asuma.

The following morning, Naruto presented himself shortly before the set time, meeting up with Sakura and Sasuke shortly after.

Sasuke and he exchanged nods, and Sakura offered a cautious hello, and nothing else.

The two looked tired and hungry, yet even Sakura didn't offer any complaints. Of course, given the fact that she was so busy trying to gain Sasuke's attention/approval, maybe that was to be expected.

Settling into a more comfortable position, the trio waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then they waited some more.

And with each passing moment, Naruto grew tenser and more paranoid, wondering if the man intended to ambush them as part of the "test".

Finally, just as his nerves were approaching their boiling point, the silver-haired Jounin arrived in a swirl of leaves, his hand half-raised in a lazy salute. "Yo."

"You're late!" Sakura cried angrily, eliciting a slight snarl from Naruto at her volume, which left a distinct ringing in his ears. "Where've you been all this time? We've been here for over three hours! And what about yesterday? You were late then too!"

"Well…I guess you could say that I got lost of the road of life." Kakashi drawled with a sigh.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Sakura growled as the three Genin moved closer to their would-be sensei.

Ignoring her completely, Kakashi cheerfully said, "Now, let's get on with the test, shall we?" Not waiting for their agreement, he continued. "I have two bells here. Your objective is to retrieve a bell by noon. If you do not, you will be tied to this post and be forced to watch me eat lunch.

As if by divine intervention, Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs both growled at the same time, drawing a disbelieving stare from Naruto.

'_Did the two morons really not eat?' _he wondered in a sort of angry amazement. These were the sort of…of _children _he was expected to entrust his life too?

Shaking his head, Naruto tried to keep his mind on Kakashi's explanation. "Of course, if you fail to acquire a bell, then you'll also be sent back to the Academy."

The three sort-of-Genin all had a different reaction to that threat. Sakura was panicking, terrified by the prospect of being separated from her "Sasuke-kun" and forced to repeat another year at the academy. The shame would be too much for her to bear.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes angrily. He'd never get stronger if he failed here. He needed to make absolutely certain that he passed this test. He had to get stronger, to avenge his clan, and to see justice finally done after all these years of waiting.

Naruto also narrowed his eyes, but for a different reason. There was no way he'd go back to the Academy, not after wasting the last six years there. Especially not when every second he spent not a Chuunin on Kurenai's team, was a second where he couldn't protect her. And that was unacceptable.

As Kakashi was setting a clock down on one of the pillars, Naruto charged, drawing his knife as he went. He put his full force into his arm, aiming for the Jounin's back, hoping to nick a kidney enough to cause the man to panic. His left arm dipped low to scoop a bell simultaneously.

One second, he was nearing his target, and the next, he was slamming into the ground hard enough to actually wind him.

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

As he dashed through the trees, Naruto could clearly hear Kakashi's voice cheerfully call out, "Now, now I didn't say go yet!"

Gritting his teeth at Kakashi's taunt, Naruto continued to run through the trees. Ignoring the Jounin telling the others to start, Naruto dove into a shallow depression and threw his Konohagakure no Jutsu around him.

Seething at the ease with which the Jounin had put him down, Naruto struggled to remain calm enough to think up a plan.

Even when attacked from behind, the man had been able to defend himself with little effort. And as a result, Naruto had lost his chakra blade. Scowling, he considered how much harder it would be to take the man on when he was on guard.

Frowning, he decided his best bet would be to shadow the others and observe their own efforts. Maybe they'd get Kakashi to reveal something he could exploit. Nodding to himself, he made his way back towards the clearing via the trees, determined to succeed no matter what.

* * *

Kakashi smiled to himself as he observed his potential students. To his right, and the easiest to find was Sakura. The girl was hidden right on the edge of the clearing, lying prone under a bush.

Not the best place for a pink-haired girl in a red dress to hide in, that was for sure. Especially when you added in all the perfume and scented soaps the girl used.

What was it with girls these days? Rin certainly never obsessed over her looks so much that was for sure.

Shaking his head, he glanced over to his left, where Sasuke was hidden among the tree branches of a particularly large tree. Better, than Sakura, but still not good enough to slip past him. Both of them seemed to be trying to observe him and pick out his weaknesses. They also seemed to be waiting for someone else to make the first move. A smart move if it wasn't for their time limit.

Finally, he discreetly glanced over his shoulder into the tree line behind him. Deep within them, further back than any of the others was Naruto. Kakashi was pleased to note that the young man was staying as far away as he could, while allowing for him to study both his adversary, and his two possible teammates. _'He's cautious…good.' _

Kakashi noted that the boy had even utilized his own, original Genjutsu that was still the talk among certain Anbu, even after it was discovered years ago. The boy must be a natural prodigy of Genjutsu to create his own A rank technique with only his self taught skills, and a handful of scrolls on Genjutsu theory. And at the age of six or seven at that!

Glancing at the knife Naruto had dropped, Kakashi wondered at the odd sheen of the blade. Picking it up -and slightly disappointed that no one tried to take advantage of it- he was surprised to see that it was made of the same metal as Asuma's trench knives. Naruto must have made quite the impression on someone to receive such a rare weapon…or he stole it. _'You'd be so proud of him sensei…and so disappointed in us…' _Kakashi thought to himself as he observed the students observing him.

He vividly remembered the Sanada incident, and he could never forgive himself for not seeing through their ploy. And what's worse, he couldn't help but feel that everything could have been prevented, and Naruto raised as a hero, if only the Sandaime hadn't hidden the truth of his heritage. The Sandaime's arguments had all been valid points, and Naruto _would_ have gained powerful enemies from birth had his heritage been known. Yet at the same time, he would have also gained powerful protectors, and an entire village working to protect him. And deep down, Kakashi believed that the Sandaime's true intentions wasn't to protect Naruto, but to protect the village.

After all, how many of Konoha's most powerful shinobi would have to be tasked with protecting an infant Naruto? How many would die fending off the assassin's that were sure to follow? Shinobi that could have, and were put to better use performing missions and rebuilding the village.

He had no proof of these things, but Kakashi couldn't shake them. And so he had decided that the Anbu was no longer his place. No, it was far past time that he see to Naruto's welfare.

With Kurenai having adopted him, and two clan heirs befriending him, Naruto was well on his way socially. But academically, Kakashi could see that Naruto was far more advanced than his classmates, and was more often than not, bored by his classes. He needed someone to teach him at a higher level, and with that in mind, he began taking on and failing Genin teams, hoping that by the time he found a team that met his requirements, Naruto would be among them.

Bringing his mind back to the present, Kakashi decided that if his Genin weren't going to come to him, then he'd just have to bring the fight to them. Tucking Naruto's blade into his pouch, Kakashi disappeared in a quick burst of speed.

* * *

Sakura did her best to remain hidden as she peered out from under the bush at her sensei. Not that she expected it would do her any good, as surely Kakashi-sensei could hear her heart pounding. After all, this was a Jounin.

Sighing when she saw Kakashi still standing where he had started, Sakura tried to plan out what she should do. Finding and teaming up with Sasuke was obviously the best option. After all, he was strong, and handsome, and kind, and per-. Sakura quickly shook her head to stop herself from continuing that train of thought, though she still blushed.

'_Sasuke would definitely be impressed if I get a bell…or even better, if I helped him get both bells and then he'd give me one out of gratitude, and then we'd start going on missions together…'_

Sighing wistfully, Sakura found herself thinking of another reason why she and Sasuke should get the bells. She wouldn't have to be on a team with Naruto Uzumaki then.

Some would say that she hated the older boy, yet that wasn't quite the truth. She disliked him to be sure, because he kept trying to make her Sasuke-kun look bad, but she didn't really hate him. It would be more accurate to say that he confused and frightened her.

Naruto was unlike anyone she had ever met. For the longest time, she and most of the other girls had been convinced that he was actually a powerful ninja, though the reasons for his presence was fiercely debated. And while he had proven to be stronger than anyone else in their class, his obvious disdain for the other children had kept most from interacting with him. Definitely not how the rumors had portrayed him -a sympathetic, lonely boy looking for love and family.

No, what disturbed her was the look in his eyes. Those strange slit eyes that stared at the world so coldly. The way he breezed through the academy, yet took no pride or joy in his accomplishments. The way he was constantly observing, yet rarely interacting. In short, he was nothing like any other child she had ever met. And that scared her.

She grew up with loving parents, day dreaming of getting married to the man of her dreams and retiring to take care of her children. She spent her days playing, and with the exception of that short bout of teasing about her forehead -which really wasn't that big at all! - living an untroubled life.

Naruto did not do any of those things, and was in fact the strangest and most infuriating boy she'd ever met. Anytime someone tried to invite him into their games or to just hang out, he'd stare at them with a mixture of incredulous disgust radiating out from his suddenly too old eyes.

In short, he made her uncomfortable and confused, and that was why she was desperately hoping he wouldn't pass.

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice called from behind her. Her eyes widened as she spun around fearfully. _'How did he-' _was as far as she got before making eye contact with the Jounin. Just as she faced him, they was a sudden gust of wind that threw up leaves all around her. Squeezing her eyes shut against the dirt, Sakura opened them in a panic once it had died down.

"Wha-?" Sakura blinked rapidly as she spun around, attempting to locate her opponent. Seeing no one, she began to relax, perking up excitedly when she heard a familiar voice.

"Sakura…"

'_I'd know that voice anywhere! Sasuke-kun came for me!'_ Spinning around with a beaming smile, Sakura's excited cry trailed off into a horrified gasp. Sasuke was on his knees in front of her, covered in blood and a veritable pincushion of kunai and shuriken. Yet most terrifying of all was his arm.

Which was missing.

"Sakura…please…help me…" Sasuke pled with her as he reached for her desperately.

Her eyes growing wider and wider, Sakura struggled desperately to keep herself from hyperventilating. _'This…this can't be happening…this wasn't the way it was supposed to go! Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun and I were supposed to live happily ever after! Mommy! Help me mommy!' _

Unable to control herself, she let loose a bloodcurdling scream, before fainting.

No sooner did she collapse then so did the Genjutsu that had ensnared her.

Looking down on her stood Kakashi. "Narakumi no Jutsu." he muttered quietly as he glanced from the pinkette into the trees where he knew his more promising student was watching. "I'd expected at least a little resistance from you, Sakura. Perhaps the Academy records aren't as accurate as they should be…"

A swirl of leaves later, Sakura was left alone on the forest floor.

* * *

Sasuke had been patiently biding his time since the beginning of the exam, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He knew full well that this Jounin was well out of his league, especially after the ease with which he defeated Naruto's sneak attack.

Sasuke didn't know for sure who would win in a fight -though he suspected it would be Naruto- but he did know who always won in their Taijutsu spars. At first, he had hated the older boy for always defeating him. After all, how could he gain his father's approval if he wasn't the best? However, shortly after _that night_, he realized something.

After almost every fight he had with Naruto, Sasuke noticed improvement. He was actually learning from the blond with each trick and strategy that he used against him. What he gained, yet didn't know how to put it into words, was experience. Experience that allowed him to dominate all other students in their class.

And with that realization came a grudging respect.

He wasn't like the other students, who gossiped and speculated about the older boy's past. No, he looked at the boy and Sasuke could tell that his past was a bloody one. Something happened, something that drove Naruto just as fiercely as Sasuke was driven by the Massacre.

He didn't know what that something was, and it really wasn't any of his business either. But he did know that if anyone had helped him come a little closer to avenging his family, it would be Uzumaki.

Sasuke was shaken from his musings by a hysterical scream that could only have come from Sakura. Whipping his head over in that direction, he frowned slightly before his eyes widened in realization and he swung his gaze back to "Kakashi" who was now fading away with the breeze.

"Shit!" he hissed as his adrenaline began to pump just moments before he abandoned his position and the traps he had prepared. If there was anything that he had learned from fighting Naruto, it was that there was no shame in abandoning a potentially compromised position/plan.

Dashing through the trees as quietly as he could, Sasuke tried to find a location that would suit his needs. He already knew that his Taijutsu was unlikely to be effective, which left his other specialty with traps as his best chance. Of course, there was also his trump card, but even that would be difficult to pull off effectively.

Frowning, he tried to formulate a new plan. _'Maybe I can-'_

Skidding to a halt, he stared in shock at the sight that greeted him when he landed in the clearing. Standing there with his face in a book was Kakashi. "Ah, there you are, Sasuke." Kakashi greeted jovially. "I was wondering when you'd decide to give it a try."

'_How?' _Sasuke thought to himself as his eyes darted around the clearing. _'How did he predict where I'd go?'_ Attempting to buy himself some more time, he said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm not like the others." He struggled not to flinch at how that sounded, now wishing he'd thought about it a little more.

Face still buried in his book, Kakashi stated with bored disinterest, "Save that kind of talk for when you get a bell."

* * *

Naruto cautiously moved back towards the clearing where they had started. All he had been able to learn about Kakashi's abilities was that he was fast -far faster than he could hope to match- and he knew at least some Genjutsu and Doton Ninjutsu. That was it.

In fact, he had learned more about Sasuke than he had the Jounin -that Goukakyuu of his was certainly impressive- and now Naruto was the only one left to fight the man.

Cautiously making his way around the clearing, Naruto found his target once again in the center, this time he knew it was him as he was standing downwind and could make out the scents of dog, metal, and blood.

Studying the man, he tried to come up with a workable plan. Key word there being tried. In six years, he had never been able to beat either Kurenai or Anko, and Kakashi was probably somewhere around Anko's level, perhaps even Kurenai's. And Naruto's strongest Genjutsu wasn't even workable yet. So he wasn't doing too well in coming up with a plan.

"Sasuke-kun! NOOOOO!" came Sakura's piercing scream from Sasuke's general area.

Kakashi shifted his head ever so lightly to look in that direction and Naruto seized his chance, dashing in under cover of the Konohagakure no Jutsu as silently as he could. As he drew near to the unsuspecting Jounin, Naruto reached out his hand to snag a bell. Closer. Closer. His fingers closed around a bell and Naruto focused in an attempt to Shunshin away. He felt the chakra forming in and around his body, he pictured his destination on the other side of the river…and then he felt Kakashi's knee slamming into his abdomen.

His world spun crazily before his view became obscured by the dirt that somehow got in his eyes, and Naruto came to the startling realization that he couldn't move. He wanted to move, he knew he should move, yet all his mind seemed to be able to register was PAIN PAIN PAIN!

Coughing, he tried to drag the hand clutching his prize under himself, only to feel an iron hard grip on his wrist and a finger digging into his wrist. Not even a second later, his hand was open and the bell was gone, Kakashi lazily walking away as he called over his shoulder, "Nice try."

Grimacing, Naruto forced himself to roll completely over onto his front, then, after what seemed an eternity, forced himself up to his knees.

Once there, he blinked as he found himself staring at his chakra knife, which he had been sure Kakashi had taken.

"Well?" Kakashi drawled tauntingly as he slipped his book away. "What are you waiting for?"

Naruto snarled as he grabbed the blade and broke into a slightly staggered dash towards the man. He led with a left to right swipe aimed at the man's chest, who predictably leaned back slightly to avoid it. Naruto followed through with his momentum by spinning around and lifting his right leg for a roundhouse that would have connected with the man's neck if he didn't casually bat the leg away.

Resetting his stance, Naruto thrust his knife forward with both hands, aiming once again for the silver-haired Jounin's chest.

Moving faster than he'd expected, Naruto found his wrists held in two vice-like grips, halting his motion with ease. Glancing up, Naruto's eyes met Kakashi's one, which he was sure was smirking at him if that was even possible.

Feeling his temper rise, Naruto reared his head back and slammed his hitae-ate against the Jounin's, resulting in a clang of metal on metal and a minor case of dizziness for Naruto.

Shaking his head slightly, Naruto pulled himself a little closer to Kakashi and reared up to send another kick towards the man's neck. This time, the man somehow shrugged a single shoulder and took the foot on the muscle of his upper arm instead of his target.

Growling, Naruto spun the blade around in his hands, forcing the Jounin to release him to avoid the sharp blade. Yet the man still looked at him with a mischievous look in his eye.

"Fuck it!" he hissed to himself as he charged once again, this time slipping his left hand into one of the pouches on his harness. Once again, Kakashi effortlessly deflected him, though Naruto just kept running, dropping a rolled up explosive note as he did so.

He made it five leaping strides before the tag went off with the force of five or six regular explosive tags. He felt the concussion just before it hit, and as such was able to roll with the blast…more or less.

His world exploded into a white haze as he hit the ground hard, before being sent tumbling end over end a good twenty or so feet. When he finally came to a halt, it was all he could do to breath, as he felt like he had bruised about half of his body. Once the world stopped spinning, he carefully got his legs under him.

Dragging himself to his feet -and being careful not to jostle the arm that he was sure was broken- Naruto surveyed the area where Kakashi had once stood. Seeing nothing, he panicked.

He turned around just in time to see the fist that knocked him to the ground.

"Very impressive." Kakashi said jovially as he crouched near him. "I don't think I've ever met a Genin who could make their own explosive tags before. Most people don't have much interest in such an esoteric art as Fuuinjutsu."

Groaning, Naruto tried to roll over, only to feel something tug at his jacket, dragging him back into the tree line in a quick, yet extremely painful movement.

When his vision cleared, he found a mass of something pink covering his face and heard a voice whisper, "I can't tell if he's breathing!"

Blinking at the familiar voice, Naruto pushed the girl's head away as he sat up with a stifled grunt. "Of course I'm breathing, you idiot."

Said girl opened her mouth to retort, yet seemed to fall short as nothing came out. After a moment, she blushed in embarrassment and looked away.

"You're heavier than you look, you know that?" Sasuke said with a tired smirk as he entered Naruto's line of sight.

Glancing over at the younger boy, Naruto asked what to him seemed the obvious question. "What was it like being buried up to the head? Who dug you out by the way?"

Sasuke scowled at him and Sakura blushed harder at that.

The trio sat in silence for a few moments, and then Sasuke suddenly said, "We need to work together."

Blinking, Naruto rose an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?" Really, he couldn't help but smirk at the Uchiha actually asking for help. Usually when he wanted Naruto's help, it came in the form of a request for a spar. The boy had never come out and asked before.

"I…we, need your help." Sasuke said with a grimace. "Kakashi is too much for Sakura and me to take on alone."

"Too true." Naruto agreed sagely, drawing a twitch from the Uchiha.

"And even you don't seem to be able to take him on your own." Sasuke continued with what might have been a hint of vindictiveness.

"Also true." Naruto interrupted again.

"Which is why we have to work together to bring him down." Sasuke said in a rush, as if afraid Naruto would interrupt again.

"Won't work." Naruto sighed as he moved back to lean against a tree.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked angrily. "Surely the three of us working together will be enough to-"

"Doubt it." Naruto interrupted once again. "If we had worked together from the start? Maybe. Now? It won't make any difference."

Sakura looked like she wanted to object again, but Sasuke beat her to it. "Why not?"

"When this test started, we might have had a chance. We were more or less rested, and we hadn't revealed any of our trump cards. Now however, he knows most of your abilities, you're tired, and I'm injured." Despite saying all this, Naruto was desperately trying to find a way to pass this test. Sadly, he wasn't coming up with much.

"How bad are you hurt?" Sasuke asked with a frown. No surprise there, considering that the younger boy had never seen him actually hurt before.

"Ribs might be cracked, my arm is definitely broken, and I probably gave myself some internal injuries with that explosion." He admitted candidly.

"Wait a minute!" Sakura suddenly interrupted. "What do you mean he knows "your abilities"? What about yours?"

"I still have skills that I could try, but like I said, I'm injured." He just barely managed to force himself to say that, always hating to talk about his abilities with others.

"So what should we do?" A visibly deflated Sakura asked. "Do we give up?"

"That won't be necessary." Kakashi said as he suddenly appeared among them. "I'm afraid this little test of ours is over."

"But Sensei!" Sakura protested in a panic, "The alarm hasn't gone off yet!"

Kakashi just tilted his head and smiled in that strange way of his. "Hasn't it?"

"No, it hasn't..." She continued hesitantly.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi drawled lazily, still sending them that smile. When Sakura didn't answer, he continued. "Now, why don't you come with me and I'll explain the purpose behind this test."

"Teamwork, right?" Naruto asked with a manufactured bored monotone to hide his uncertainty.

Kakashi just glanced at him in response. "And what makes you say that?"

Reassured that his guess had been more or less accurate, Naruto just shrugged and turned away. Moments later, Sasuke chimed in. "It can't just be coincidence that you decided to end the test just as we decided to work together. So that must be it."

"Hmmm...Well, you're partly right, as I would have failed you if you showed as much talent as the Sannin yet lacked the ability to work together." Kakashi admitted. "But that's not to say I would have passed so long as you worked together. No, you needed to show some talent to prove you were worth my time."

"But Sensei, we didn't work together at all..." Sakura pointed out in confusion.

"Didn't you?" Kakashi asked amusedly. "Who was it that dug Sasuke out of the ground?" He looked at Sakura here. "Who was it that said teamwork was necessary, and risked themselves to drag an injured teammate away from a superior enemy?" This time with a glance at Sasuke. "And who collected data and observations then shared his conclusions without hesitation?" This time with an eye smile in Naruto's direction. "Teamwork is more than just fighting against the same enemy. It's also more than just agreeing to cooperate." Kakashi paused there to glance at the sun. "Well, that's enough for today...so I hereby pronounce you three Genin. Congratulations, and be here tomorrow at 0800."

They all bid their goodbyes and after Kakashi told him to report to the hospital- to which Naruto only gave a vague mumble that might be confused as assent- Naruto Shunshined to the forest behind the Hokage Monument.

Once there, he quickly checked for any watchers, then proceeded to carefully shed his jacket and equipment. Once done, he dug through a small, foliage covered hole, digging up a small sack. From that sack, he came away with a single book.

It was a medical textbook that described the proper method of setting bones. Flipping to the particular page he wanted, Naruto carefully probed the large protrusion just beneath the skin.

Reading through the various diagrams, Naruto carefully drew one of the medical scalpels he'd "acquired" along with a couple of syringes. Each syringe was filled with a painkiller that would more or less numb his arm for a short time.

Strangely enough, the first time he'd done this, they had lasted far longer than he wanted. The next time, the duration had nearly halved. With each progressive use, the time shortened.

He didn't understand why, though he knew there wasn't anything about that that was normal. People didn't just suddenly become resistant to poisons overnight. Which just added more questions to his already impressive list.

Pondering how much longer until this drug no longer worked on him, Naruto tied a tourniquet around his arm and injected himself, giving it a moment to take effect. Once he was satisfied, he carefully -and somewhat sloppily considering he was doing this left handed- cut an incision to expose the bone.

Grunting when he found out the hard way that the drug wasn't as effective as he'd expected, he quickly gave himself a second dose, hurriedly setting the bone and stitching the incision shut.

No sooner had he finished then he felt a familiar sensation slam through his concentration.

Glancing around, Naruto sniffed lightly, trying to find the general location of his "guest".

_'How much did they see? Why are they here?' _He wondered as he glanced from the trees to the pile of pilfered medical supplies. Not the best scene to be discovered at by an authority figure.

"You actually thought to use your nose. That's impressive." a young female voice rang out. "Most shinobi never really think about that, especially at such an early age."

Whirling around to face down wind, he was met by a strange sight, even as his "sixth sense" was fading away. Walking out of the trees was a pretty girl, no more than a few years older than him. The brunette was a few inches taller than him, and she wore tight, yet unrestricting knee length shorts, standard shinobi sandals, and a Chuunin vest unzipped just enough to show some cleavage.

That was all he could see for clothing, yet he figured she probably wore a sports bra of low cut shirt under it.

She wore her shoulder length hair in a low ponytail and approached him at an even pace, a friendly smile on her face. A quick glance told him that she bore the Inuzuka clan markings on her very soft looking cheeks, as well as revealing a strange tattoo on her right arm, as well as two other things that captured all of his attention.

One was her slit pupils, the first he had ever seen outside of a mirror -and Kiba probably had something like that as well, but he never paid the moron much attention- and the three wolf sized dogs that walked by her side.

He might have spent too much time staring at her eyes, judging by the way her lips moved but he heard no words, yet it was that same stare that caught her subtle glance at his makeshift operating room.

Narrowing his eyes, Naruto quickly decided that he couldn't let this girl walk away.

* * *

Hana Inuzuka pursed her lips in surprise at what she had found. She and the Haimaru Sankyodai had gone to the forests behind the Hokage Monument on a whim, desiring something new for their training that day. So imagine her surprise when she followed the scent of fresh blood on the wind until she stumbled upon a young Konoha-nin, armed to the teeth, performing makeshift surgery on himself.

Frowning at the boy's rather makeshift sewing skills, she cautiously approached, wondering what was going on. _'What's he doing all the way out here? Why didn't he just go to the hospital?' _Frowning, she studied the boy closer. He had blond hair -a rarity in Konoha- and was probably around five and a half feet tall. Other then that and his outfit -which looked surprisingly practical. _'So he has some experience…and he looks like he's just a few years younger than me-'_

Her breath caught as the boy's head suddenly swung up and seemed to stare right at her. _'No way!' _she mentally gasped. _'There's no way he could have found me so easily.' _Her curiosity rose when she noticed the boy sniffing at the wind._ 'I'm downwind though…so was it a lucky guess that he looked this way? And-'_

Her musings came to a screeching halt when she finally took notice of the boy's features. She knew those blue slit eyes anywhere, having been the only ones she'd ever seen like them. She remembered vividly when she picked up Kiba from school a few years ago. There was some kind of scuffle between some of the boys in Kiba's class, and when the dust settled, a single, blond haired boy had been the one to walk away. Yet when he did, Hana got a good look at his eyes. Eyes that were slit just like hers yet bore a color that no Inuzuka had ever possessed.

She had been unable to look away even as he passed her and left the Academy grounds. Hana had even followed after him, dragging a protesting Kiba along with her. She managed to catch sight of him one last time just as he turned a corner, his head tilted back to fix a single dark blue eye on her. This also served to freeze her in place long enough for her mind to take in the two scars that slanted across his face. In the next moment, he had been gone.

She had asked Kiba about him and found out all her younger sibling knew about Naruto Uzumaki. She had tried to find the boy again a few times after that, yet he always seemed to give her the slip, or just plain disappear whenever she decided to look for him.

And now, all these years later, she just happened to stumble on him by chance. Smiling to herself at finally having the chance to solve her long time mystery, she approached the boy with a friendly smile.

"You actually thought to use your nose. That's impressive." she called out in greeting. "Most shinobi never really think about that, especially at such an early age." She could feel his eyes boring into hers as she drew closer, and feeling an odd surge in her stomach, glanced away, taking in the scene.

Mentally shaking her head, she turned back to face him. "So what are you doing out here by yourself? And why didn't you just go to the hos-" She cut herself off as the boy threw his hands into a blurred seal before breaking apart and floating away with the wind.

She had enough time to blink and think, _'What the…' _before her companions burst into frenzied, terrified howls and yelps, flopping around on the ground in a panic.

Eyes widening in rage, and a small amount of fear, she moved to aid her companions, only to be hit with the force of a raging bull as something grabbed her and threw her to the ground.

Gasping for breath, she tried to roll to her feet, only to feel a heavy weight throw itself down on her.

Snarling angrily, she struggled with her assailant, cursing herself for not carrying a shuriken holster now that her kunai pouch was pinned beneath her.

Grabbing at her attackers neck and shoulders, Hana tried to get her knees up and between them, hoping to use her leg muscles to throw him off.

Unfortunately, her opponent seemed to be one step ahead of her, as he used her movements to climb over her legs and straddle her stomach, squeezing her middle tightly with his own legs. Realizing how quickly her situation was deteriorating, Hana frantically grabbed at the man's harness, desperately trying to find a weapon.

Moments later, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her back onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her. As she struggled for breath, she felt his hands move down her arms even as they forced them above her head.

Blinking, she recognized the shape in front of her as a shoulder, and in a move of desperation, she bit down on it as hard as she could, tasting blood immediately after. She was disappointed that the bite didn't force him to release her, but she was determined to make this bastard pay for whatever he had done to the Haimaru Sankyodai.

Feeling her assailant press her wrists together and freeing one of his hands, she threw all of her strength into breaking free. That ended as soon as she felt a blade touch her throat. "Stop it." A powerful voice commanded quietly.

Despite herself, Hana obeyed the command, though she was quick to remind herself of the knife at her throat. She ceased her struggles and released her grip on his shoulder. "What did you do to my partners?" She whispered into his shoulder in a tight voice_. 'If he's hurt them in anyway...' _She fiercely promised to herself.

"They're fine." The voice said as he sat up slightly so she could see his face revealing...Naruto! "I only hit them with a Narakumi." He continued. "They'll be fine."

"What do you think you're doing?" Hana hissed angrily.

"That's my question." Naruto returned just as angrily. "Why were you spying on me?"

"Spying!" Hana sputtered. "I wasn't spying on you! I smelled the blood and was worried!"

He didn't say anything for a moment, just frowned as he stared down at her.

Chest heaving, she opened her mouth to continue to defend herself, only to pause as she took in the damage she'd caused him. "You tore your stitches open." She pointed out.

The bastard merely rose an eyebrow and replied, "So I have."

Hana blinked, and met his eyes again, this time being met with just a hint of mischievousness in those deep, blue eyes. Scowling she tried to press up against him. "So hurry up and let me up so I can fix you."

"It's not serious." Naruto replied dismissively, causing her to grind her teeth angrily.

"I can see your bone!" She growled in angry disbelief.

"Stop changing the subject." Naruto chided as he lessened the pressure of his blade on her. "What were you doing out here?" He demanded as he stared down at neutrally.

Feeling that strange sensation return, she looked away again, feeling like an idiot as she mumbled, "I already told you."

She saw him moving his free arm out of the corner of her eye and froze when he placed his hand on her chin, tilting her head so she couldn't help but stare in his eyes. "What's your name?" He asked in a calm tone.

Her mouth suddenly incredibly dry, she swallowed and managed to get out, "Hana." Hopefully, he'd know her surname, because she didn't know if she could get her mouth to work a second time.

"All right then, Hana." Naruto began. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me. What were you doing here?"

"I already told you." She whispered again.

"Say it again." he ordered softly.

Feeling his breath on her face, she suddenly felt her cheeks warm up slightly.

* * *

Naruto frowned as he stared at the panting young woman beneath him. Her words sounded reasonable enough, yet he just couldn't bring himself to just accept that. Why was that? And now that he thought about it, why did he even attack her?

Sure, he'd rather not let anyone know that he was in the habit of patching himself up, but what would come of it if he did? Kurenai would probably scold him and stare at him with those sad eyes of hers -which he still couldn't stand to this day- and Yoshino would probably worry -which would make him feel guilty- but beyond that? Nothing would really happen.

_'So why did I jump her?' _He asked himself in exasperation. _'What was I thinking?' _The thoughts of how easily this whole situation could explode didn't exactly put him at ease. Especially when he realized that as an Inuzuka, she was almost guaranteed to be either a member of the Konoha Military Police, or a relative of one. There was no way her disappearance wouldn't be noticed. Or investigated. Which meant he couldn't just deal with her now, he needed to be sure. Sure that she was working for the Old Man, only then could he dispose of her. Only then would it be worth the risk.

So how to get her to tell him what he wanted to know without making her suspicious?

"You tore your stitches open." The girl suddenly pointed out.

Glancing over at his arm -and getting a good look at his now bleeding shoulder in the process- Naruto looked back to her, quickly coming up with a plan, and turned on his acting skills, before he replied mischievously, "So I have."

The kunoichi blinked, and met his eyes again in surprise. Surprise which quickly turned to a scowl as she tried to press up against him in some attempt to rise. "So hurry up and let me up so I can fix you." She ordered curtly.

"It's not serious." Naruto replied dismissively, carefully studying her reaction, only to see her to grind her teeth angrily.

"I can see your bone!" She growled in angry disbelief.

"Stop changing the subject." Naruto chided lightly as he slowly lessened the pressure of his blade on her throat. "What were you doing out here?" He demanded as he stared down at her.

He was surprised when she averted her eyes almost...shyly? "I already told you." She mumbled quietly.

Frowning at his lack of progress, Naruto reluctantly sheathed his blade, leaned in a little and cupped her chin, turning her so she was facing him, though she refused to meet his eyes.

"What's your name?" He asked in a calmer tone.

"Hana." She said simply, her clan markings making her surname obvious.

"All right then, Hana." Naruto began. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me. What were you doing here?"

"I already told you." she whispered again.

"Say it again." he ordered in a soft voice. He wasn't entirely sure this would work, yet he had heard that eye contact could help detect lies, so he figured it was worth a try.

She finally met his eyes, a light blush on her cheeks as she answered. "We were out here training, when we smelled your blood. I was curious, so I decided to check it out. I wasn't spying on you." She said all of this in quick succession, then jerked her chin out of his hand, averting her eyes once again. "Satisfied?" She asked in a sarcastic huff.

Staring down at her, he got the distinct impression that she was telling the truth. Now that he was no longer concerned with her motives -nor planning on the best way to dispose of her body- he found himself examining her more closely, taking in some details that he had missed before.

For one, she was more than just pretty, though not the kind of beauty most seemed to yearn for, she was still quite attractive. Speaking of which, he became aware of the fact that the Chuunin vest she kept partially unzipped had become…more unzipped during their struggles, revealing much more than the socially appropriate amount of breasts…breasts that were still heaving slightly from her attempts to free herself. Naruto also became aware of the fact that he was in fact, a fourteen year old boy.

Feeling the blood start to flow to his face and…other places…Naruto quickly stood and backed away from Hana, turning ever so slightly to release the Genjutsu he had placed on her pets.

It took only a few seconds for the dogs to stir from his Genjutsu, yet that was all the time it took for Hana to rise and brush past him to kneel in front of them. Her pets crowded around her, a mass of nuzzling and soft whines as she anxiously checked them over for injuries. Why, he had no idea.

"I told you, your pets are fine." Naruto pointed out with a roll of his eyes. He was promptly ignored by the Inuzuka girl as she tried to hug, pet, check over and scratch the ears of all three with only two hands.

Feeling slightly awkward, he turned away suddenly feeling the burning pains in his shoulder and arm now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He only made it a few steps before he felt a paw scratching at his leg. Glancing down, he saw one of Hana's dogs staring up at him.

The animal whined at him piteously as it pushed its' head beneath his hand. Naruto froze in genuine surprise, before frowning and slowly stroking the animal's head. "Odd..." He muttered to himself -though not as quiet as he'd thought, as Hana looked up from the other two in surprise. "Animals don't usually like me..." He continued as he experimented with scratching different spots on the dog's head and neck, finding that it seemed to enjoy just behind the ears and the top of the neck.

The animal began wagging it's tail happily as it tried to sniff and lick at his hand without forcing him to stop his ministrations. A moment later, brought the sounds of the other two approaching, apparently eager to meet the stranger now that they'd recovered from his Genjutsu.

Frowning and a little wary, he tried to distance himself from the mass of fur, only to frown deeper when they followed him. "Shoo." He ordered the dogs, feeling like a complete idiot afterward. The dogs promptly ignored him.

"Alright girls," Hana called as she approached them. "He's hurt so help me set him down."

Scowling, Naruto attempted to shake off the "girls" while sending a glare towards Hana. He wanted her to lower her guard and get her to forget about the whole attacking her thing, not try to treat him like some kind of helpless invalid. "I don't need your help. I can take care of myself."

Hana just sent him a scowl of her own. "Of course you can," she huffed sarcastically. "That's why your stitches fell apart as soon as you tried to use your arm. Sit down and let me help."

She nodded to her dogs, who began pawing and nudging him in the direction of his medical supplies.

Naruto glared down at them, and even went so far as to push one them with his foot, only to elicit another round of pitiful whines from them. Whines that inexplicably made him feel bad. He almost wondered if they were hitting him with some kind of Genjutsu.

He made a show of resisting, while intending to avoid it at the last second, but eventually they managed to get him where they wanted, butting against his leg to get him to sit, at which point one laid itself across his lap and another nuzzled it's head under his arm, sniffing and licking at his face. The third sat on it's haunches next to its' mistress, its tail wagging proudly.

* * *

"Good job, Mikoto." Hana praised as she searched through Naruto's meager medical supplies. A whine from the dog on his lap drew a chuckle from the Inuzuka, who the said, "Yes, yes, you too Sanae, Kanae."

Hana went through Naruto's supplies quickly yet efficiently, but she was more than a little upset at how haphazard the boy's medical supplies were.

Spying the book the blond had been looking through, she checked what he had been trying to do. "My God!" She shouted in anger and a bit of worry. "You idiot!" She hissed as she rushed to his side to examine his arm. "What were you thinking, trying to set a bone by yourself? You might have done even more damage to yourself!"

Carefully taking his arm in her hands, she slowly peeled apart the incision he had created, only to stare in amazement. The wound was a little dirty from their tussle, yet beyond that, he seemed to have done a decent job with his bone.

"You have to be the luckiest bastard I've ever met." She breathed as she carefully washed out the wound with some water from her canteen.

Naruto visibly winced and tensed, yet he didn't make a sound, though Sanae and Kanae both whined in distress.

"I'm sorry," Hana apologized as she finished cleansing the wound and reaching for his needle and thread. "But you already used your pain killers and I didn't bring any with me."

She chanced a glance at his eyes before quickly averting her eyes at the look of pain in them. "Please, bear with it and try to relax."

He sent her an incredulous look before nodding tightly and making an effort to relax.

Threading the needle, she carefully grabbed his arm and began the slow process of stitching the five inch incision shut. Noticing him tensing again, she tried to think of something to talk about that would take his mind off of what she was doing to his arm.

Saying the first thing that came to mind-and coincidentally one of the things she was most curious about- Hana nonchalantly asked, "So why didn't you just go to the hospital for this? You're a ninja, so they'd treat you for free."

For a moment, she didn't think he'd answer but eventually he grunted out "I don't like hospitals."

Hana rolled her eyes at the expected answer. "Men." She huffed irritably. "Always going around complaining and insisting that you don't need medical attention, and then you end up hurting yourself worse and leaving all the work to women."

"In case you've forgotten, you're the one that bit a chunk out of my shoulder." Naruto retorted, surprising her with the hint of defensiveness.

"That wasn't my fault!" She pointed out quickly. "You're the one that jumped me."

"Because you were spying on me." Naruto said in a calmer tone.

"I was worried!" Hana hissed angrily. "I wouldn't have even come here if you had just gone to the hospital!"

"I told you, I don't. Like. Hospitals." Naruto growled as he glared at her.

She opened her mouth to berate him only to notice that she had finished his stitches. "Let me see your shoulder." She ordered as she carefully wrapped some bandages around his arm.

"It's not serious." The blond Uzumaki asserted as he tried to push Kanae's snout away from his face.

"Stop telling me what is and is not serious." She scowled at him irritably. "Now, lose the shirt." She demanded, suddenly wondering whether the mystery that was Naruto Uzumaki was worth the headaches she got from him.

"No." He said stubbornly.

Hana took a deep breath as she reminded herself that she didn't want to hurt him, no matter how tempting the thought was.

It took awhile, but eventually, she got his shirt off and examined his shoulder. The bite wasn't too bad, as the shirt had taken most of the damage. It only needed some salve to keep it clean and a bandage.

What did catch her attention was the seal placed on his shoulder. "What's this?" She asked curiously as she traced the seal, feeling oddly satisfied as she did.

"It's a seal." Naruto said as he rubbed Kanae's ears absentmindedly.

"I can see that." Hana snorted. "What does it do?"

"It's an old chakra suppression seal that I modified to-." Naruto began only to cut himself off. "That's none of your business." He said with a scowl as he pushed away the dogs and threw his things on. As soon as he was done, he vanished via Shunshin.

Miffed at being left behind without so much as a thank you, Hana glanced over at the things he had left behind. A few scalpels and a single forceps, a few used needles, a handful of bandages, and the medical textbook.

"Typical men. Always leaving a mess for us girls to clean up." She mused to her partners who were gathering around her once again. "Well, he'll have to come to us if he wants this back." She declared as she picked up the book. "And if not...you've got his scent, right girls?" Her companions barked and wagged their tails excitedly.

_'You can run, but you can't hide, Naruto Uzumaki.' _Hana thought with a grin. _'I'll figure out your mystery sooner or later. Just you watch.'_

* * *

'_Damn it!' _Naruto growled to himself as he punched a tree with all his might. _'Damn it, damn it, damn it! What was I thinking letting her see that seal? How could I actually start to answer her!'_ Each thought was punctuated by more punches, the knuckles of his hand already bleeding from his blows.

He had been grateful that his plan to convince her that everything that happened between them was just a misunderstanding had worked quite well, though he hadn't intended to get cornered by her pets, and became lost in thought over how affectionate they were of him. He only barely managed to regain his senses just before he could spill his secrets to the Inuzuka girl, hastily departing before she could question him further. His anger at his inattentiveness had led him to this training ground, where he took his frustrations out on a nearby tree, careful to punch with his uninjured hand.

That seal was not only important and a source of great pride, it was one of his trump cards! To let that Inuzuka girl even _see_ it was unforgivable! Finally expelling enough of his anger, he glanced down at his once again covered shoulder, and the seal hidden there.

Naruto realized long ago that his unusually large chakra reserves were detrimental to his Genjutsu, and as such he had set out to learn to control it. His goal was to attain a level of perfect control over his chakra, and he poured most of his free time into various chakra control exercises. From these exercises, he had learned that while it was possible for him to completely master his chakra, it would take far too long for his taste. Thus, he had turned his attention to Fuuinjutsu, hoping to come across a seal capable of solving his problem.

No easy task given the rather paranoid nature of Konoha when it came to someone meddling with seals, and combined with the lack of sources for him to study, he had more or less been floundering in the dark. That is, until he came across an old, and he later learned, obsolete seal.

The seal's original purpose was to suppress the chakra of enemy prisoners, rendering them close to helpless against their guards and jailors. Unfortunately, as the seal's creators had learned, the seal didn't completely prevent access to one's chakra, and as a result, prisoners with access to low power techniques could still bypass and escape them. He had been prepared to throw the idea away as useless, until he was struck by a thought. The seal might not do exactly as he wished it to, but having less chakra to control would make it easier for him to do so. With that in mind, he decided to test them out.

He applied a single tag to himself and as expected, felt his chakra decrease as large doses of it was suppressed. Then he tried to mold the chakra that was able to slip past the seal. And it worked. He could control his chakra better than ever before.

So he was left with a seal that accomplished his goal, but at the cost of most of his chakra. But what if he adapted it? After all, he had modified seals before, and they had turned out more or less alright.

So he set to work and over time, had managed to take some of the general concepts and ideas that made up the seal and tweaked them to suit his needs. The end results were better than he could have possibly hoped.

A suitable metaphor would be if one considered a technique to be an empty bottle with a label and a mark on it. In order for the technique to work, one had to fill the bottle up to more or less that line. Too little or too much, and the technique would fail. If one poured in the "water" at a trickle, it could take far too long to actually reach the desired amount, while turning on a hose ran the risk of completely overwhelming it and causing the label to disintegrate. The better one's chakra control, the easier it was to "pour" into the bottle.

What his new seal did, was act as a "paper" funnel of sorts. He could pour in larger amounts of "water", without fear of spilling water all over the bottle and ruining the label, while still maintaining control of the flow. However, the funnel was made of paper, and as such, too much "water" would still overflow, soaking the paper funnel to the point where it broke apart under the pressure, which would in turn destroy the label on the bottle.

At first, he'd doubted whether or not he could make use of the seal, yet he found that with his own practice at various chakra control exercises, he was able to use it reliably, so long as he was careful to maintain control of his chakra. With the excess chakra being bled off by the seal, his "artificial" control was near perfect.

A deadly trump card in the hands of a ten-year-old, especially when his opponents were likely to underestimate his abilities because of it. Add in his continued improvements with his chakra control over the years and his precision soared to heights he had previously felt impossible to reach.

So naturally, Naruto had been careful to keep his seal secret, even from Kurenai. After all, the seal would only grant him an advantage so long as he was the only one who knew and used it. Kurenai, bless her heart, would be certain to share the seal with others so as to increase Konoha's strength and abilities. After all, she was a loyal kunoichi, and Naruto wasn't blind to the sort of possibilities his "funnel" seal could present if it was mass produced.

Feeling calmer, he wasn't too surprised when his mind drifted towards the young Hana. She was an odd girl, seeming to jump back and forth between angry and gruff to quiet and nervous, to sarcastic, to gentle and caring.

What was worse was, Naruto thought she might have been sincere. He didn't like it when strangers took an interest in him, outside of his control and influence. Naruto could never shake the feeling that he was in danger of falling into a trap when they did.

Shaking his head to clear it, he leaned against the tree he had been abusing and studied his arm. That Hana girl was quite the gifted seamstress, judging by the level of expertise she had shown while sewing him up. He almost wondered if he should find some way to "recruit her" -willingly or otherwise- to attend to his medical needs. It also wouldn't hurt to a sympathetic ear in or near the Konoha Military Police.

Growling irritably at his jumbled thoughts, Naruto Shunshined away, intending to return to the apartment and perhaps spend some time with Kurenai. She'd probably be very happy that he passed his Genin Test -however a near thing it was- and might even finally consent to teaching him her Magen: Jubaku Satsu.

Of course, that Bearded Monkey might be hanging around again, in which case Naruto would need to recruit Anko to drive the man off. Walking around Kurenai's apartment without her trench coat usually did the trick in chasing Asuma out, though in recent months Naruto had found the act disturbing in more ways than one.

Feeling his heart rate increase and his blood begin to boil when straddling a panting Hana was one thing. Feeling it happen for _Anko _was something he didn't want to begin considering. Damn puberty.

* * *

**TRANSLATIONS:**

Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu=Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.

Magen: Jubaku Satsu=Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death

Goukakyuu=Grand Fireball

Haimaru Sankyodai=I think this means the Three Triplets, but I'm basing that, and their names off another story that happens to be a favorite of mine. Demonic Maelstrom by GrizzlyBiscuit.

* * *

**AN: **

And that is chapter seventeen. Did my explanation on how the seal works make sense? Updates will still remain slow due to my whole deployment thing. Well, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	19. Chapter 18

Words-140405, Chapters-20, Reviews-591, Hits-244054, C2s-109, Favs-918, Alerts-1027

AN, Well, I'm still alive. I apologise for the long wait, and that this one and the last chapter are still unbeta'd. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. That being said, I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, particularly the last portion.

Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 18 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter 18**

Kiba couldn't help but grin as he took his partner on an early morning walk.

Things couldn't be going better as far as he was concerned. First, he had graduated from the academy with, if not flying colors, then at least his grades weren't the worst. Then he'd hit the jackpot and ended up on a team with Hinata Hyuuga.

She might be the quietest girl in class, but she was also the cutest, nicest, and possibly even the most talented of the wannabe kunoichi. Needless to say, Kiba had had an eye on her for a while.

Best of all, that scar-faced prick hadn't been put on their team, finally giving him a chance to get closer to Hinata without Uzumaki popping up out of the blue and kicking his ass. Kiba could be stubborn, but even he had his limits.

But maybe now he'd finally get Hinata on a date.

Of course, the fact that their Jounin-sensei was a total babe was an added bonus. Kiba grinned in a way that would have made a certain Sannin proud. _'Maybe Kurenai-sensei would be willing to "teach me" how to keep Hinata happ-HOLY SHIT!'_

The only thing that kept Kiba from shrieking when Naruto suddenly appeared right in front of him was the fact that it had happened before. Many times.

"H-hey there, Naruto. Fancy meeting you here." Kiba managed to say with only a hint of nervousness. The fact that the Uzumaki's appearance -when Kiba and Akamaru were alone, deep in the forests surrounding the Inuzuka compound- couldn't possibly be a coincidence, wasn't lost on him.

"Hello, Kiba." Naruto said quietly as he stepped closer, causing Kiba to subconsciously shuffle back a few steps. "Let's have a little chat, you and I." The older boy ordered as he followed him.

"Chat? About what? If it's about that whole food fight thing, I told you it wasn't me! I never would have gotten Hinata-chan dragged into that! And even if I did, I definitely didn't do it on purpose." Kiba babbled quickly as he cautiously glanced around for an escape.

Over the years, Kiba had become something of an expert on stalling Naruto's wrath. He knew full well that his best bet to escape the Uzumaki was to distract him by bringing up another reason for the older boy to want to pummel him, then run like hell in that split second of distraction. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't, though it was always just a temporary solution. Eventually, Naruto always found him.

"You got placed on quite the team, Kiba." Naruto continued nonplussed. "Kurenai, a powerful Jounin who's a master of Genjutsu, Hinata, with her Byakugan and, Shino, and yourself. Quite the team indeed. Anyone would be thrilled to be in your shoes."

"Look Naruto, if this is about the whole team placement thing, Iruka-sensei already said they were final." Kiba said with a tinge of exasperation.

"I know, and I've accepted that." The scarred blond said as he stepped even closer. "Just like I've accepted that a smelly mutt is going to be on a team with Kurenai and Hinata."

"Hey! Who're you calling a mutt, you scar-faced asshole!" Kiba growled angrily as his usual attitude returned. Of course, he quickly felt the blood drain from his face as he remembered something. "How do you know about Kurenai-sensei's Genjutsu?" He asked nervously. Something in the back of his head was screaming for his attention.

"How could I not?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

_'Shit!'_ Kiba growled to himself as that voice finally broke through. Kurenai was Naruto's mom! A hot mom, but his mom nonetheless! And Hinata at least, thought of Naruto as an older brother...and they were both on Kiba's team...and Naruto didn't like Kiba. "Are you here to try to kill me?" Kiba growled defiantly. "Cause I'll kick your ass from here to Kumo if I have to!"

"Kill you?" Naruto asked in a bemused tone. "No, no, no. I'm just here to talk."

"About what?" Kiba asked warily. The Uzumaki wasn't ever much of a talker as far as he knew.

"Just about how you're going to behave properly around Hinata and Kurenai. About how you'll keep your hands, and whatever thoughts you may have to yourself, and how you'll sacrifice your life to keep any harm from befalling them." With each sentence, Kiba felt a terrifying, oppressive feeling that spiked each time. If Kiba was older and more experienced, he'd be able to put a named to that feeling. Killing Intent.

"I don't think I need to tell you what will happen if you don't." Naruto finished before turning to walk away.

As Kiba rediscovered the ability to breathe, he felt his fear disappear, only to be replaced by anger. "Who the fuck do you think you are!" He yelled at the retreating teen. "You can't control Hinata-chan's life! I don't know what your problem is with me, but who Hinata spends her time with is none of your business!"

Naruto whipped around and glared at him with more anger than Kiba had ever seen, including the time he'd tripped during recess and fell on Hinata's lap.

"My problem is that you're a worthless, brash, inconsiderate little fucker who barely has enough brain power to write your own name, yet you think you're good enough to be with Hinata." Naruto said quietly, almost calmly if it wasn't for his eyes. How Naruto managed to make his blue eyes _burn_, Kiba didn't know. "My problem is that there's _nothing_ you have to offer her, that you'll only drag her down, yet you somehow think you deserve her. My problem is that you're not _good enough_."

Kiba was shocked into silence at that, but only for a moment. "Don't you think that's something for Hinata-chan to decide?" He snarled as he took a threatening step forward.

"No." The older boy snapped back. "Hinata sees things as she wishes them to be, not how they really are. She wants to see you as a friend, as someone she can trust. But I know otherwise."

Kiba opened his mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by a very familiar laughter. Blinking, he looked around for the source, only to pause as he spotted Naruto frowning up at a tree. Following his gaze, Kiba was surprised -and just a little relieved- to find Hana and her three partners grinning down at them from a large branch.

A moment later, a still chuckling Hana and her companions jumped to the ground, Sanae and Kanae rushing towards Naruto immediately after.

Relieved and slightly peeved at the thought that the dogs were coming to his defense, Kiba's jaw dropped open when Sanae and Kanae rushed up to Naruto and began nuzzling at his hand and jumping around excitedly. Even more so when Naruto began scratching their ears absentmindedly.

"Sis!" Kiba sputtered. He wanted to ask what her companions were doing, fraternizing with the enemy, but all that came out was, "how long were you there!"

Still chuckling, she walked over to them, Mikoto trotting by her side. "Oh, long enough to see Naruto do his scary big brother act." She paused to grin over at said blond. "I had no idea you were so protective of your girls. It's kind of cute."

"Cute!" Kiba objected. "Hana, this prick's anything but cute! He's borderline insane! You heard the things he said!"

"Oh, hush Kiba." Hana waved him off. "He's just being protective of his pack, just like anyone should be."

Kiba could only gape as she walked past him and over to Naruto, Mikoto -by far the most protective of her dogs- wagging her tail happily at the older boy. _'Wait a minute...her dogs are way too friendly with a complete stranger...' _"You two know each other?" He accused his sister in shock.

* * *

Hana grinned happily when she picked up Naruto's scent hanging around the Inuzuka compound. _'He showed up sooner than I expected.' _She mused to herself as her girls barked excitedly. After all, they had just met yesterday, and she had expected it to take a few days for him to come looking for his book.

At first, she had intended to wait and make him come to her, but then she picked up his scent moving away from the compound and out into the woods.

Frowning at the thought that the boy would chicken out like that, she and the triplets decided to give chase. After all, he still owed her for the other day, and she still had questions for him.

It wasn't long after leaving the compound that Hana realized that her prey seemed to have prey of his own, as his scent overlapped with the slightly older scent of her younger brother. Her curiosity stoked to new heights, she picked up the pace ever so slightly. When she came to a silent halt on a tree branch, she was just in time catch Naruto's scary brother speech.

She found the whole act amusing, and oddly enough, endearing. _'God help the poor soul that tries to date his daughters.'_ She mused fondly, remembering the slight look of wonder on his face when her girls were playing with him. She didn't even notice when her face heated up at her thoughts.

Of course, it was rather nice to see Kiba willing to fight a boy he obviously feared for the sake of his not so secret crush. After all, an Alpha should be willing to face insurmountable odds for their chosen mate. And she had a distinct impression that Naruto could crush her brother without much effort.

Eventually deciding to step in before things went too far, Hana ceased to hold in her amusement and just laughed.

Of course, they noticed her immediately after, Naruto faster than Kiba.

Still chuckling, she jumped to the ground and approached them, smiling fondly as Sanae and Kanae rushed forward to greet Naruto.

"Sis!" Kiba sputtered. "How long were you there!"

Still chuckling, she walked over to them, Mikoto trotting by her side. "Oh, long enough to see Naruto do his scary big brother act." She paused to grin fondly over at said blond. "I had no idea you were so protective of your girls. It's kind of cute."

"Cute!" Kiba growled at her. "Hana, this prick's anything but cute! He's borderline insane! You heard the things he said!"

"Oh, hush Kiba." Hana waved him off, despite her sudden urge to pound him into the dirt. "He's just being protective of his pack, just like anyone should be."

"You two know each other!"

Hana couldn't explain why, but the way Kiba phrased that question like some kind of accusation made her grit her teeth angrily. Taking a deep breath, she decided to tease both of the younger boys.

"And then some..." She purred as she stepped up as close to Naruto as he would allow-which was far closer than normal due to Sanae and Kanae herding him towards her. "How's your shoulder?" She asked as she slowly stroked the still frowning Uzumaki's tense shoulder with one finger. "I don't usually bite so hard, but then again, I'm not usually on the bottom either."

Hana barely managed to hold in a cackle at the look on Kiba's face. A childish mixture of horror, rage, disgust, anger, and others danced across his face as he stared wide-eyed at her. Still stroking his shoulder, she glanced over at Naruto, only to feel her breath catch and her heart stop.

Naruto was scowling at her, which was expected. What wasn't expected was the tiniest hint of red that she almost convinced herself wasn't there. He was blushing! She didn't know why, but for some reason, her heart started hammering frantically in her chest, almost as if trying to make up for lost time.

Hana couldn't help but stare at Naruto, drinking in his features as if for the first time. Even her dogs seemed to sense something, as they stopped their cavorting and sat on their haunches, staring up at the two of them expectantly. Finally allowing her eyes to meet his, Hana stared into Naruto's deep, blue slit eyes. A tiny voice in the back of her head whispered, _'Take his hand...'_

Fortunately -and it was fortunate Hana told herself vigorously- Kiba chose that moment to return to his senses. "You bastard!" He howled as he threw himself at Naruto in an attempt to throttle said blond. It was an attempt because Naruto caught him and used his momentum to hurl her brother over his shoulder. All of this without taking his eyes from hers.

Taking the moment to shake her strange impulses from her head, Hana could have sworn she heard Sanae and Kanae sigh at her in exasperation and she _did_ see Mikoto shaking her head in disappointedly. Sending them a sharp look, she addressed Naruto in her usual confident tone. "So, did you come to thank me? Because I took care of you quite well yesterday, if I do say so myself."

She grinned happily when Kiba took that completely the wrong way, especially when she didn't intend it that way.

Throwing him aside again, Naruto fixed her with a slight look of exasperation peeking through his usual calm facade. "Do you enjoy seeing your brother getting tossed around?"

"Sometimes," she agreed happily. "It does him good to be reminded from time to time that he's not the top dog."

* * *

Naruto stared at the strangely vexing girl. The girl was toying with both him, and her brother, and he knew it. First, she followed them, then she spied on them -though he was sure, she wouldn't call it that- during their "conversation". Then she set about teasing her brother with little innuendos that affected him as well, despite his best efforts to control his body. The fact that her dogs managed to corral him...again...only added to his irritation. Honestly, why couldn't he just kick the damn things? They didn't even have to whine this time!

Struggling to bring himself under control, he glanced over at the seething Kiba. It appeared the younger Inuzuka had finally figured out that recklessly charging him repeatedly was a painful exercise in futility. And it only took him being thrown around like a rag doll a couple of times too.

Glancing back at Hana and struggling not to lash out at her uncomfortably close proximity, he sent Kiba one last glare. "Stay away from Hinata." He ordered coldly before jumping up into the nearest trees and darting away, finding it harder to ignore the whines of Hana's dogs than he'd like to admit.

Unfortunately, it wasn't long before his ears picked up the sounds of excited breathing closing in from behind him. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto jumped to the forest floor and concentrated. Sure enough, he heard the sounds of multiple thumps, signifying that his pursuers had followed him to the ground. Frowning, he tried to calculate the distance to the boundary between the Inuzuka forest and the "public" forest of Konoha.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had dedicated his time to studying and memorizing the general layouts and boundaries of Konoha's various clans and restricted areas. Strictly as a precaution of course.

Once he had a guess as to the distance, he turned his attention back to his pursuers. They were downwind of him, explaining the ease with which they had matched his course, and if his suspicions about the identities were correct, then they should catch up to him just outside of the Inuzuka grounds. Perfect.

Putting on an extra burst of speed, as if trying to escape, Naruto passed the boundary, then turned and leaped back into the trees he had passed, using his Konohagakure no Jutsu as he did. Once settled he stilled his heartbeat and breathing with practiced ease, waiting for his "guests" to arrive.

Barely twenty seconds later, three blurs flashed by underneath him, followed by another. It was just when the fourth form began to pass underneath him that Naruto struck, leaping down out of the tree and crashing into their back as he did so. Locking one of her arms behind her back with his own, Naruto reached forward with his other, intending to wrap it around her throat.

A quick snap of her teeth was all it took to force him to draw his arm back, giving Hana the time she needed to twist around and hook a foot behind his ankle, tugging on it even as she shoved down on his chest.

Unbalanced, Naruto realized his plight and pulled the young woman down with him. The collision with the forest floor jarred him slightly. The impact of Hana falling on top of him managed to extract a slight gasp, but neither was enough to slow him as he spun them both over, placing him back in control.

At least, it did for a second. "You really like being on top, don't you?" She asked with a saucy wink. Naruto blinked in surprise as her statement registered, and that was all the distraction Hana needed to grab his left arm in both of hers, tuck in and push up with her left leg and hip, rolling them over a second time. This left her straddling his abdomen as she held down his hands with her own, leaving her face hovering above his.

Her breath on his face, Hana faux whispered. "I like being on top too."

It only took a fraction of a second for her statement to register, and Naruto felt his face warm up as his treacherous body began to react to her. Snarling angrily at his own lack of control, he easily forced his hands free and seized Hana's shoulders. The Inuzuka instinctively pulled up and away from him, which was exactly what he wanted.

As Hana jerked back, Naruto thrust his hips up, throwing his legs up towards her back at the same time. She had enough time to blink in shock as his ankles crossed in front of her neck, before he put all his weight and momentum to use, slamming her onto the ground.

Had anyone come across them in that moment they would have been treated to a strange sight.

Naruto lying flat on his back, with Hana lying flat on her back on top of him, her legs folded up on either side of his hips, her ass on his pelvis and her head held down by his feet.

Luckily, the only witnesses were Hana's dogs, all three watching with doggy grins, though Sanae and Kanae's were a tad more excited than Mikoto's.

Fortunately, the moment passed as all moments do, and Naruto continued through his movement, sitting up with Hana's neck pinned under his feet and her legs under his arms.

Throwing one of legs to the side, he brought his legs up in order to get himself on top of her. Hana, however, didn't seem willing to let that happen, as she whipped her legs back around his waist, preventing Naruto from completing his mount. Instead, she managed to roll them once again, though this time Naruto managed to stop her halfway.

What followed was the oddest wrestling match he had ever seen. If anything, their struggle seemed almost...playful. The two of them continued to roll back and forth, the silence broken only by Naruto's grunts and Hana's laughter, her dogs skipping around them excitedly.

Despite his darker instincts, Naruto managed to keep from using any of his weapons on the Inuzuka heiress, unwilling to risk the investigation and hunt that would undoubtedly follow.

He couldn't reliably say how long this went on. It could have been seconds or hours for all he knew. Eventually however, Naruto managed to get her arm twisted behind her back, one leg wrapped around her waist while the other pinned her legs to the ground.

Hana had proven herself quite flexible during their tussle, often moving her body in ways that Naruto was sure required a bloodline to accomplish. However, now that he had her pinned down, she couldn't overpower Naruto's strength.

Still, that didn't stop her from trying, as she squirmed around in his arms for a bit before pouting at him over her shoulder. "I guess you win this time, Naruto." He blinked when the pout transformed into a smirk. "I think you deserve a reward..." She trailed off as she leaned her head as close as she could to his. "I hope you like tongue."

Naruto could only blink in confusion before a cold, wet snout butted up against his face, followed shortly after by an equally wet tongue.

Recoiling instinctively, he was caught off guard when two furry, wet noses pounced on him, knocking him onto his back as they continued to lick and nuzzle him.

A seal less Kawarimi later revealed a whining Sanae and Kanae pawing pitifully at the rock he'd switched with.

"That wasn't very nice, Naruto." Hana scolded him from her seat on the ground, dutifully accepting the similar treatment Mikoto was giving her.

"What do you want from me?" Naruto growled suspiciously. What was this girl's angle? Why did she keep doing these things? And why was she so calm after he had jumped her twice, and threatened her brother's life? It didn't make sense. Was she trying to manipulate him somehow? To get him to lower his guard? Or perhaps she wanted him to try to harm her, or even attempt to kill her? Self-defense could easily get a clan heiress acquitted of murder. That could explain why she was so eager to catch him before he left the Inuzuka lands.

Hana looked at him with what he thought might be hesitance before smiling brightly.

_'She has a nice smile...' _A voice in the back of his head made itself known.

"I love mysteries," Hana began. "More specifically, I love solving them. And you, Naruto Uzumaki," she pointed at him dramatically. "Are a mystery. You have slit eyes like my clan, blond hair like the Yamanaka clan, the last name of an almost legendary, yet extinct clan from Uzu no Kuni, your mother's last name isn't Uzumaki -not to mention she looks nothing like you- the Hyuuga heiress absolutely adores you, and you became Rookie of the Year, despite the fact that you didn't start the academy until you were eight." Hana dropped her arm as she paused for breath. "So the mystery is; who is Naruto Uzumaki? And I intend to find out."

Naruto could only stare at the older girl in disbelief and a hint on intrigue. That she knew as much as she did about him after only one day was both amazing and disturbing. Assuming that she didn't just pull all of that information from his file-which he was sure the Old Man and his Anbu kept on him- her contacts and investigative abilities must be great indeed! Particularly that bit about him having the surname of an extinct clan from Uzu no Kuni. That in itself was more than Naruto had ever been able to discover about where his name came from.

That the dead clan was "almost legendary" according to Hana was even stranger. If that were the case, why had Naruto never been able to find any info about them? Naruto felt a chill at the implication that there was no information because _someone_ was going to great pains to hide it. That, or perhaps Hana was simply trying to mislead him?

On the other hand, if she was being honest with him, then maybe he should consider recruiting her, especially with her added skills as a medic and a tracker. He didn't even have to look to know that the stitches she gave him were still holding, despite their little tussle. And if it turned out she _was_ a spy for the Old Man, or anyone else for that matter, then Naruto could use her to feed misinformation to his enemies.

He was so lost in his thoughts and schemes, he didn't notice when Hana softly -almost shyly- continued. "Although, I'd be willing to settle for seeing you smile or laugh a little."

"Well, I suppose I could answer some questions for you...for a price." Naruto offered carefully. It wouldn't do to drive off his first recruit after all.

"And what price would that be?" Hana asked suspiciously. Even her dogs suddenly seemed wary.

"Don't know." Naruto said, smiling ever so slightly. "But when I figure it out, I'll let you know."

* * *

Hana frowned as she stared at the younger teen. She didn't think Naruto was a pervert, but the way he said that, "for a price"... "And just what would that price be?" She asked suspiciously.

Naruto's smile was a small, pitiful thing, barely more than a slight up turning of the corners of his lips. She knew all of that, yet her heart still sped up as she stared wide-eyed at the man looking down at her. _'When did he...wait a minute.' _Hana was sure that Naruto was about the same height as her. In fact, she was sure that she was an inch or two taller than he was. So how could she possibly be looking up at him?

She was snatched from her thoughts by the hand Naruto placed on her cheek, his thumb gently stroking her clan marking.

"My price?" He asked huskily. "Is you!"

Hana barely had enough time to register the hand that grabbed her shoulder, before Naruto pulled her close, dipping down to press his lips to hers.

She could only stare up at him, flabbergasted. He wasn't being gentle, but neither was he rough. If she had to describe the kiss, she'd call it hungry, ravenous even. A small part of her was proud that she could invoke such hunger and passion from the Uzumaki. The rest of her, however, was appalled that the Genin thought he could just claim her like some bitch in heat.

Contrary to popular belief, the Inuzuka did not seek to emulate their dogs. Sure, some things had bled over through the years, such as their pack mentality, or referring to their young as pups. However, despite all of the rumors, Inuzuka women didn't go into heat, they didn't think of themselves as bitches, and they didn't just lie down and take it from any "strong" or "dominating" male that decided he wanted to have their way with them.

With that in mind, Hana shoved the arrogant blond away from her. Or at least she tried to. It would be more accurate to say she backed away to arms distance, as Naruto proved to be impossible to move and he didn't seem willing to relinquish his hold on her shoulders.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Naruto!" She growled threateningly.

Instead of answering, Naruto gave her a smirk. Not the smile he had earlier which conveyed a soft feeling of kindness and warmth. No, this smirk was all power and allure and...sexy! Shaking her head, Hana glared at Naruto, intending to show him just what she thought of his smirk, only to yelp in surprise as two blows swept her legs out from under her.

Oddly enough, she never felt the impact with the ground, though she knew she was laying on it. One second she was standing, the next she was laying on the ground.

She did however, feel the hand that stroked its way up her side, grabbing the zipper to her Chuunin vest. Another prominent feeling was the weights on both her arms, pinning them to either side of her body.

Shivering at the feeling of Naruto's lips on her neck, and growling at the hand that was slowly unzipping her vest, Hana opened her mouth to snap at him, only to blink as she realized something. Naruto couldn't possibly be holding her arms down and teasingly unzipping her vest at the same time.

Turning to her right, she gasped at what she saw -and certainly not because Naruto had found a sensitive spot on her neck. "Sanae!" She cried as she found one of her own companions pinning her arm down, a wide doggy grin meeting her cry.

Wrenching her head to her left -and coincidentally exposing the right side of her neck to Naruto's persistent ministrations, even as he finally unzipped her vest completely, leaving the vest to sit on her so it only exposed a strip of flesh from her collar bone to her shorts- she was met by Kanae, who was copying her sister. "Girls, what are you doing? Get off of me!"

They both ignored her, as did Mikoto who was, as Hana could now see, sitting on her haunches just above her head.

Shivering at all of the sensations she felt as Naruto's hand made its way under her vest to caress the flesh beneath, Hana almost shrieked when his other hand grabbed her chin, turning her so she was facing him again.

"You know," Naruto began as he slid his calloused hand up to cup and massage one of her breasts, drawing a pleased moan from her as he did so. "It's a good thing I'm not the jealous type. Otherwise, I might be pissed off to see you paying more attention to them than to me." He punctuated his statement by simultaneously squeezing her breast roughly and pinching her nipple.

Hana didn't even bother trying to hold in her mixed cry of pleasure and pain, her body trembling at the sensations assaulting her.

Naruto took this opening to thrust his tongue into her mouth. As he explored her mouth, Hana put her own tongue to use -strictly in an attempt to push the invading appendage out of course- only to realize the futility of it. The fact that his hands were now roaming, squeezing, stroking, and massaging all over her completely exposed upper body -where and how her vest disappeared to, she didn't know or care- made gathering the will to continue resisting seem impossible. Instead, she could only moan into the kiss while struggling to breath.

Awash in pleasure and confusion, Hana took deep, gulping breaths when Naruto finally drew back from her mouth, only to kiss and nip his way from her lips to her chest. Gazing at him through clouded eyes, Hana briefly wondered what he'd look like without a shirt, only for it to quite literally disappear before her eyes. She blinked in confusion, before struggling to focus what parts of her mind weren't hopelessly tangled up in all the pleasurable sensations he was giving her.

What happened to her anger? What happened to her will to resist? He didn't ask for her permission to do this, and she didn't give it -and she wouldn't have either, she was quick to remind herself, though even to herself the statement lacked conviction- she had even made a showing of her objections when she tried to push him away.

So why was her body responding to him? Why were her muscles quivering in anticipation, why was her core slowly tensing up like a coiled spring? Why could she feel the steadily growing wetness in her most intimate spot?

Dear God, why did she wish her hands were free so she could run them through his hair, to rain kisses and caresses on his face, neck, shoulders, and chest?

Her train of thought -along with whatever self-control she had left- was banished completely when she realized that her arms _were_ free and her companions missing just as abruptly as her vest and Naruto's shirt, just as Naruto stopped teasing her breasts and took an already sensitive nipple in his mouth, sucking, playing, and nipping it lovingly.

Hana grabbed Naruto's head and squeezed him tightly to her breast, even as her whole body seized up as the waves of her climax hit her.

As she silently screamed, Naruto somehow escaped from her grip and once more shoved his tongue into her mouth. This time, she welcomed the intrusion wholeheartedly, doing her best to give as good as she got, no longer caring about all of the inconsistencies in the situation.

Her hands running through his spiky, yet somehow soft hair, Hana felt faint as all the dizzying sensations, tastes, and smells that Naruto gave her threatened to overwhelm her. His hands were still roaming all over her body, his right hand slowly/infuriatingly creeping closer and closer to her waistline before sliding back up her body.

"Naruto..." Hana growled in a mixture of pleasure and frustration. "Stop teasing me." Taking matters into her own hands -literally- she grabbed his hand and tried to force him to her burning mound. Much to her frustration, he easily held her at bay, smirking that infuriatingly attractive smirk at her.

"Anxious are we?" He asked huskily.

Hana opened her mouth to tell him just what he could do with that smirk of his -she actually had several delicious ideas that she was anxious to try out- only to release an embarrassingly high-pitched gasp when Naruto rubbed his leg against her sensitive cleft.

Bucking up against him, her body arched up, giving Naruto the chance to grab the hem of her shorts and panties and pulling them down to tangle around her knees, before placing both hands on her ass, alternating between squeezing her cheeks roughly and massaging them gently.

Moaning even louder, Hana bit her lip as she felt Naruto's weight settle against her, causing delicious friction up and down her essentially naked body.

"Now, now," Naruto murmured into her ear, his hot breath sending shivers up and down her spine. "You shouldn't bite those pretty lips of yours Hana." He scolded her in amusement.

She opened her mouth -what she planned to say, she didn't know- only to be interrupted when Naruto growled, "That's my job." before he captured her lip once again, kissing her fiercely before gently biting and tugging at her lower lip as he pulled away.

"Naruto-" she began, only to moan loudly as he steadily ground his still unfairly clothed hips into hers, nearly driving her over the edge once again.

Not one to be outdone, Hana ran her own hands over his neck, shoulders and back, massaging and stroking for the most part, yet clenching tightly enough to break skin whenever he did something particularly pleasing to her.

She pulled him to her and smashed her lips to his, intending to curl his toes with it. She felt him grin against her lips as his left hand lazily trailed up her side. Her rather ticklish side.

She giggled girlishly and instinctively tried to scoot away from his hand, failing due to the simple fact that his weight prevented her.

The next few minutes were wrought with giggles, moans, gasps, groping, caressing, squeezing, kissing, nipping, and rubbing. Hana was in ecstasy, feeling more alive than ever before. Naruto's actions continued to stoke the fire in her lower belly, sending sparks of burning pleasure throughout her body.

For what seemed like an eternity, Hana could think of nothing, but the man on top of her and the joyous results of their respective actions. Eventually, as her next climax hovered just out of reach, Hana grew impatient for more.

Tugging at his pants -which he had yet to shed- Hana pouted as seductively as she knew how. "Naruto...please...I'm so close..." She whined breathlessly, half expecting them to disappear as seemed to be the norm in this strange situation.

Naruto pulled his head away from her neck and met her eyes, temporarily shocking her with the sheer _life_ that danced in those beautiful eyes of his. He was still staring in her eyes as he brought his hand away from her ass and slowly slid it across her vulva, pausing to rub her lightly.

Hana felt her body seize up once again in preparation for her orgasm, just before Naruto lightly pinched her clit and-

* * *

Hana bolted upright in bed, her breathing ragged and her cheeks flushed.

Glancing around the dark room, Hana sighed in relief/disappointment. _'No Naruto, no forest, no-'_. Feeling the heat in her cheeks -and the wetness between her legs- flare up, Hana sighed in embarrassment. She couldn't believe she'd had a...a damn wet dream! About Naruto of all people! The dream had obviously been based on their earlier encounter, which ended in Naruto's cryptic promise of coming up with a price for her answers before departing to meet up with his Genin team. That her mind could twist that around into her dream was...

Feeling something watching her, she glanced to her side where Mikoto lay on the bed. Her companion was giving her a knowing look, while her sisters were wagging their tails.

"Don't look at me like that." She grumbled half-heartedly as she picked at her sweaty nightclothes. Her sleeping robe was drenched in a mixture of sweat and...other bodily fluids.

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she decided to forgo attempting to go back to sleep in favor of a nice, hot bath. Sliding out of bed, she shrugged out of her sleeping robe, padded over to her drawer, and withdrew a simple bathing robe. Putting it on, Hana loosely tied it shut and opened her bedroom door. Sanae and Kanae both rushed past her and down the hall, no doubt on their way to pester Kuromaru or Akamaru, depending on their mood.

That was the odd thing about those two. Whereas Mikoto acted like an overprotective sister -both to her other companions, and Hana- Sanae, and Kanae both possessed a slightly mischievous, child-like personality. There was also their puppy-like excitement, whenever they met anyone new. That wasn't to say they couldn't be as ferocious and vicious as the meanest wolf in battle or out of it. But outside of battle, they acted like week old pups most of the time.

The fact that she could easily see them pinning her down like in her dream also made its presence known.

Glancing back at Mikoto, Hana asked, "Are you coming?"

Much to her surprise, Mikoto just yawned and curled up to sleep.

Shrugging off her companion's strange behavior, Hana silently padded down the hallway towards the bathroom, grateful that it was early enough that no one was awake to pick up the scent of her arousal, and ask her awkward questions.

Opening the door to the bathroom, Hana sighed in relief as she slid out of her robe and turned on the nearest shower head.

The Inuzuka compound was an odd mixture of modern and traditional for the most part. Here a traditional dining room, there a modern, wooden door. The bath she shared withher mother and brother was a prime example of this mixture. It possessed a beautifully crafted bath resembling a miniature hot spring, designed to hold two grown adults comfortably, as well as several shower heads on the opposite wall.

Carefully rinsing her still sensitive body, Hana thought over the dream and what it could mean.

They say that dreams were the human mind's way of subconsciously dealing with your issues. So what? Was her mind trying to tell her that she needed to get laid? Or was it something far more complicated? And what did Naruto have to do with it?

"You're up early." A voice said next to her head. It was only years of shinobi training that kept her from jumping out of her skin.

Whipping her head around, Hana was greeted by the sight of the Inuzuka clan Matriarch -as well as its head- Tsume Inuzuka, also known to Hana as, "Mom! What are you doing up?"

"I think that's my question." Tsume smirked as she sat next to her. "But if you must know, your girls decided to try their luck with Kuromaru. They were making such a ruckus with their rough housing, I decided to just get up." She explained as she turned on her own shower head. "What about you? What are you doing up so early?"

Hana closed her eyes and scrubbed at her face, hoping that her mother couldn't see her blush. "I couldn't sleep." She muttered as she shut off the shower and retreated to the bath.

"Oh?" Tsume asked with amusement in her voice. "Why's that? Did you have a nightmare?"

Hana scowled at her mother before growling. "Something like that."

Tsume just hummed as she continued to wash her body.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. Sighing in relief, Hana settled back to try to enjoy her soak. Of course, no sooner did she set her mind to that than her thoughts returned to a certain infuriating blond. Hana wasn't so immature as to blame Naruto for her dreams, but she would probably never have had the dream if he didn't keep popping up around her.

She didn't even bother thinking about how she had been the one to seek him out.

"So who is he?" Tsume interrupted her thoughts as she slid into the water next to her.

"Who's who?" Hana blurted defensively before she could stop herself. Berating herself, Hana sank up to her chin in embarrassment as her mother gave her an all too knowing look.

"I could smell your arousal a mile away, and believe it or not Hana, I was your age once. I had an exciting dream once in a while, I still do in fact." Tsume grinned wryly.

"Mom!" Hana all but shrieked in mortification. "Don't tell me things like that!"

"Stop being childish." Tsume scolded lightly. "And stop trying to avoid the question. Who were you dreaming about?"

Feeling the heat in her cheeks rising, Hana muttered defensively, "It was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything."

"Of course it doesn't." Tsume agreed with a wide grin. "So..." She prompted.

Accepting that she wasn't going to be able to avoid her, Hana mumbled. "Naruto Uzumaki...". Glancing up at her mother, Hana was shocked to see a cascade of emotions cross over the older woman's face, though three easily stood out as stronger than the others.

Rage, sorrow, and guilt.

"Naruto Uzumaki, huh?" Tsume asked in an emotion-laden voice. "I didn't know you and he were...close." She finished as she wrapped her arms around her -despite the warm water- slightly shaking body.

"Well...we're not really close." Hana said slowly as she carefully observed her mother. "I don't really know much about him, and we've only really talked twice." She explained before giving and abbreviated and...more acceptable version of their encounters and her goals involving the enigmatic blond.

As she explained herself, Hana watched as her mother slowly regained control of herself.

When she finally spoke, Tsume sounded sad of all things, though what she said grabbed all of Hana's attention. "I think it would be best if you stayed away from that boy, Hana."

"What? Why?" Hana demanded angrily. Her mother wasn't the type to discriminate against anyone like that, so to hear her pass judgment on Naruto like that was appalling to the Inuzuka heiress.

"Some mysteries are better left unsolved." Tsume said quietly as she rose from the bath and headed for the door. "I think I'll try to get some more sleep after all. Don't stay in too long, Hana-chan."

Hana started at the form of address, as Tsume only ever called her Hana-chan when she was feeling particularly motherly or emotional. Blinking, she could only watch as Tsume dried herself off and left.

Hana frowned as she mulled over her mother's strange behavior and even stranger words. What did she know about Naruto? Why would the very mention of his name invoke such a powerful emotional reaction? And why was she so cryptic in her explanation? It was almost as if Tsume _wanted_ her to continue looking into Naruto.

Sighing to herself, Hana grumbled. "You better be having a rough night too, Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

As it would turn out, Naruto was not having an easy night either. He was dreaming, and in the subconscious way of dreams, he knew he was dreaming in a distant corner of his mind.

But that didn't really change anything. He was standing in the apartment that he shared with Kurenai. He could tell that the apartment was empty save for himself, as he couldn't smell Kurenai. Oh, the apartment still bore a strong scent of Kurenai and to a lesser degree of Anko and a few others, but the scent was faded, really only lingering due to the sheer amount of time the scents origin had spent there.

The apartment also lacked the _feel _of Kurenai, the warmth and security that she seemed to effortlessly put into the place with her mere presence. Instead, there was only the after feeling, that tiny voice in the back of his mind that insisted that the one associated with it was absent.

Frowning at nothing, Naruto walked through the apartment, carefully studying each room. He didn't smell, see, or sense anyone nearby, nor did he find anything out of place. Yet just the same, he knew something was wrong.

Closing his eyes, Naruto Listened, slowly blocking out all of the background and ambient sounds.

For a moment that seemed to last for hours, he was met by silence. Then, there was a slight shuffling of feet, followed by the sound of metal sliding along leather.

Eyes snapping open, Naruto darted towards the nearest window. As he did, the door to the apartment exploded inward, several dark forms darting into the room.

Glancing back, he caught several glimpses of porcelain masks followed by a barrage of kunai. Narrowing his eyes angrily, Naruto easily dodged the blades through a series of serpentine movements -learned through very long, very insane training with Anko- only to curse as he threw himself through the window just before the explosive tags attached to the kunai exploded.

Twisting his body to control his fall, Naruto growled angrily as he watched the apartment go up in flames. _'The Old Man's going to pay for that!'_ His second thought came a little more angrily as he belatedly realized why his escape had been so easy. _'Damn it! They're herding me!'_

Hitting the ground in a roll, Naruto came up with kunai in his hands ready to fight.

What he saw caused his heart to drop into his stomach, his muscles frozen in horror.

He was surrounded by Anbu, their forms obscured by their black cloaks and the moonlight glistening off their bone white masks. At their forefront stood the Old Man, a stern look on his face even as his white and red robes swayed majestically in the wind. But it wasn't the glare of the Old Man, or the overwhelming presence of the Anbu that stopped him.

It was the sight of Kurenai on her knees at the kage's feet, beaten and bloody. Blood cascaded down the side of her face, one eye swollen shut while the other was little better. Her breathing was labored and heavy, rattling on each breath she took, suggesting a punctured lung and the broken ribs that would accomplish it. As she gasped for breath, Naruto could see the bloody gaps where her teeth had been knocked out, others broken and jagged.

And that was just what he could see of her face.

Her strange clothes were now torn and shredded, little more than strips of cloth that revealed more than it hid, allowing him to see the dark, vivid bruising, terrible gashes, gushing holes, and even burn marks that littered her normally pale, flawless flesh.

Her hands were cruelly bound with ninja wire, the metal strands cutting deep into her flesh.

As terrible as all this was, it was the final sight that terrified him the most.

Standing behind Kurenai was another Anbu one hand fisted in her bloodied hair, the other holding a ninjato to her throat.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The Old Man spoke, breaking him from his paralyzation. "Do you think me a fool? Did you really think I had forgotten? That I would simply let you escape my grasp?" He paused to draw something from his pristine robes. It was a bloodstained hitae-ate, Kurenai's hitae-ate Naruto realized in horror. Horror at the deep groove carved through the leaf symbol in the center.

"Did you really think I would stand by and do nothing while you plotted against me?" The Old Man asked as he tossed the forehead protector at Kurenai's feet in disgust.

Finally finding his voice again, Naruto tried to demand. "Let her go!" Even to his ears, it sounded more like a plea than an order. "She has nothing do with this!"

"On the contrary." The Old Man lectured in that calm voice of his. "She has quite a bit to do with this. Originally, she was supposed to kill you, you know." He paused to frown down at Kurenai in disappointment. "Once you came up with that irritating Genjutsu of yours, it became next to impossible for my Anbu to find you. Kurenai here," he explained as he roughly gripped her chin and forced her to look at him. "Was the perfect person to track you down. From there, killing you should have been child's play. But it seems they don't make kunoichi like they used to." With that, he casually backhanded her, only the Anbu's grip on her hair keeping her on her knees. Even then, Naruto heard some chunks of her hair ripping out.

Naruto instinctively darted forward, only to feel something akin to a mountain slam him to the ground.

Coughing, he tried to force himself to his feet as the Old Man continued as if nothing had happened. "I'm not certain what you did to convince her to oppose me, and to be honest, I don't care. I was even willing to forgive her, after she went through some reeducation. But you!" He spat with a venomous glare. "You had to get it into your head to try to plot against me! And that couldn't stand."

"You're lying..." Naruto growled as he pushed himself to his feet. "Kurenai was never one of your pawns."

"Wasn't she?" Sarutobi snorted. "Don't tell me you really thought it was coincidence that she met you? She was mine long before you were even born."

"You're LYING!" Naruto shouted angrily. "I'm no fool either! I know you're just trying to confuse me, to hurt me a little more, but you can't! I know Kurenai, and I know she would never serve someone like you!"

The Old Man laughed heartily at that. "Everyone in this village serves me. To do otherwise is death. Just like what happened to Mitarashi, Shiranui, and those fools at that ramen stand you love so much. My only regret is that I didn't think to make you watch them die."

Naruto's eyes widened in horror at those words. "You wouldn't…," he breathed as images of them rushed through his head. Teuchi, grinning as they traded light barbs over a steaming bowl of ramen, Ayame treating him like a child even as she made sure he always stopped before he made himself sick, then offering him compliments and well wishes the few times he talked about his training.

Genma grinning around that stupid senbon of his, as they looked over an explosive tag that Kurenai didn't know the Special Jounin was letting him study, before hastily covering it up with a history book when she unexpectedly walked in.

Anko and him constantly arguing over nothing and everything, before sneaking into Asuma's house and throwing women's underwear everywhere just minutes before Kurenai and Asuma walked through the door -had Naruto known they actually _were_ Kurenai's he wouldn't have gone along with it- then getting into a fist fight over where to go for their victory meal.

"Of course I would." The Old Man snorted sarcastically. "Honestly, it's like you don't know me at all. After all, it's the only reason I let you live this long."

Despite himself, Naruto couldn't help but ask, "What are you talking about?"

"You always were a slow child." the Old Man sighed before shaking his head in exasperation. "I let you live, because I saw how you managed to make Yoshino help you. At first, I thought she was trying to recruit you for something, especially when she brought her son in. But then you gained the loyalty of those civilians, and I had to wonder. So I watched you, and I saw how you were gathering others to yourself. Obviously, it's easier to wait for you to bring anyone who would oppose me together, than it was to hunt them down individually. And once I was sure you had rooted out all of my enemies, I just swooped in and eliminated them. But I must commend you on Kurenai. No matter what we did to her, she kept insisting that you weren't plotting against me."

For the first time since the confrontation had begun, Kurenai looked up at him, a betrayed expression on her face as she met his eyes. "Why, Naruto?" She sobbed brokenly. "I loved you. How could you do this to me?"

Naruto could only stare at her in horror. He had never wanted this; he deliberately refused to get her involved for this very reason. And now...

"Why Naru-grrk!" Kurenai's betrayal laden voice trailed off into a wet gurgle as the ANBU slit her throat.

"NOOOO!" Naruto screamed as he tried to run to her, fighting off unseen, grabbing hands, as if he could undo all of this, undo the destruction of his world, just by reaching her. "NOOOO! Kurenai! NONONO NO! Don't die, please don't die!" He wailed as unfelt tears streamed down his face. No matter how much he struggled, Naruto couldn't seem to get any closer to her twitching body. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Kurenai! Please don't go! Please!"

"Naruto! Naruto, wake up!"

Naruto came awake with a start, reflexively grabbing at the arms holding him before he recognized her scent. Then he just threw her arms around Kurenai and held on to her for all he was worth.

After babbling incomprehensibly into her chest for a few seconds, Naruto forced himself to calm down by taking deep, gulping breaths, taking in as much of Kurenai's relaxing scent as he could, then trying to get more. After about a minute, he judged himself as calm enough and released her.

* * *

Kurenai quietly made her way to Naruto's room, as was her custom before bed. A custom built on years of making sure her son was sleeping well, _on_ the bed and not under it. At first, this was a fairly easy task, as Naruto was both untrained, and a heavy sleeper, despite his intense paranoia. She was even able to curl up against him on a regular basis.

Once, Naruto began his training however, it became increasingly more difficult for her to do so. Oh, she could still sneak up on him in his sleep -she _was_ a kunoichi after all- but now she actually had to _try_ to avoid waking him. And while she could still easily get close enough to brush his hair and tuck him in -as he really was a heavy sleeper, something that she both cherished, and worried over, because it allowed her to indulge her motherly whims and desires, but at the same time, was worrisome due to the danger such a weakness could cause- it had been years since she could hold him as she did when he was a child.

Sighing quietly, she gently brushed his unruly hair back from his face. '_He needs a haircut.'_ she mused to herself with a rueful smile as she often did, only to put off actually telling him. He always butchered his hair whenever he cut it himself.

Her pleasant musings were cut off when Naruto began thrashing lightly beneath his sheets. Reaching out to run her fingers through his hair -something she knew from experience could help calm him from the darkest nightmare- she felt her chest constrict when he started screaming, his thrashing so violent that she actually had to grab his arms to try to keep him from hurting himself. "Naruto! Naruto, wake up!" she yelled to be heard over his own screams of denial.

When he awoke with a bolt, he actually startled her for a moment, before he buried his face in her chest and held onto her in desperation. A painfully familiar desperation, as this was far from the first time he had clung to her like this. Usually following a particularly bad nightmare, though he was never willing to speak of it with her, and only rarely could Yoshino pry it out of him. As he sobbed into her chest, the only word she could decipher was "sorry" repeated over and over again.

Frowning sadly, she just held him and ran her fingers through Naruto's hair, whispering soft assurances to him as he struggled to bring himself under control.

As usual, her baby boy forcefully calmed himself down, taking the deep gulping breaths he always did in such situations. The final sign that he had regained control of himself was when he loosened his grip on her, before releasing her altogether and letting his arms fall to his side.

Not that she was willing to let him go just yet. "Another nightmare?" Kurenai asked softly.

For a moment, she didn't think Naruto would answer, but then he whispered a quiet, "Yeah."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered hopefully. She hated seeing him in pain, and whether he believed it or not, talking about it would help.

Unfortunately, Naruto gave the same answer he always did. "No."

Struggling to keep the frown off her face, Kurenai tried again. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Naruto assured her as he gently extracted himself from her arms. "Sorry if I woke you. You can go back to sleep now."

Kurenai stared at him with a mixture of worry and frustration as he laid back down in bed, rolling over so he wasn't facing her. Mentally growling at how stubborn he could be, she nonetheless kissed his head and murmured, "If you're sure…" before retreating to his door.

Pausing one last time, she turned around and lovingly said, "Goodnight, Naru-chan." Waiting for his response, she struggled to contain her hope, her longing to hear him say the one word she most wanted to hear from him. Mom.

"Goodnight, Kurenai." he replied as he shuffled further beneath his blankets.

Keeping her disappointment hidden through long practice, Kurenai quietly closed the door and retreated down the hallway to her own room, where she finally released a sigh. Even after all these years, he still had issues with calling her mother. She understood the reasons behind his reluctance, even before Yoshino explained it to her.

The last time he had been adopted, he had devoted his entire being to loving the Sanadas, his "ojisan and obaachan". And then they had tried to kill him. So it was no surprise that he would be hesitant to put himself in the position where there could be a repeat. The same thing applied to his last name, which he stubbornly refused to change to Yuuhi, despite giving his consent to the adoption.

As Yoshino explained, the name Uzumaki, and avoiding calling her Kaa-san, was something of a safety net for Naruto. While Kurenai had no doubt that Naruto loved her, and thought of her as a mother, deep down, he feared that calling her Kaa-san would bring about a repeat of the Sanada Incident. And what he feared most about such a repeat, was losing Kurenai, possibly by his own hands.

Cursing everyone she could think of that played a part in ruining Naruto's life, Kurenai vowed that one day soon, Naruto would finally be able to move on and have a true family, one that wasn't marred by fear and suspicion. Believe it.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the Inuzuka compound, another mother was also worrying over her child, while struggling with her own emotions at the same time.

From the moment Hana mentioned Naruto's name, Tsume had been struggling to contain her boiling emotions. Just the very mention of that boy filled her with rage. Oh, how she hated that boy, hated what he reminded her of, hated the way he reminded her of her beloved Teiru, and how his life had been stolen from him, and most of all she hated what he contained. She cursed the day he had been born.

Right after the rage came sorrow, as she remembered all the things she and Teiru would never be able to share, such as the birth of their son, Kiba. Teiru would never be able to watch their children grow, and learn, and love. He'd never see their future grandchildren. She'd never get to cuddle up to him at night, and hear him jokingly complain about her cold feet even as he pulled her even closer.

And then came the guilt. Because as much as she hated Naruto, she knew it wasn't his fault. She knew that he was likely the greatest victim of the whole tragedy. She knew that more than anyone else, that boy deserved, and _needed_ compassion. He needed someone to hold him close as he was growing up, to tell him that it wasn't his fault, that he was innocent.

And perhaps, the greatest source of her sorrow and guilt, was that she had promised. She had promised Teiru on his death bed that she would stop hating Naruto, stop blaming him for what happened. She had promised, yet she never even tried to keep it. She had tried to avoid the boy entirely, as if given enough time, she could just…ignore the hate away. But deep down, she knew. She knew that all she was doing was avoiding the problem, and her promise to her husband. She knew.

And now, Naruto was barging back into her life again. Only this time, it was her own daughter that was dragging him in. And she had felt all that hate come screaming back, even more intense than ever before at the mention of his part in Hana's dream. Not only was he tormenting her with Teiru's death and her un-kept promise, now he was going after her daughter!

She had told Hana to stay away from him, had given her a vague excuse that she knew her daughter would never buy. And she burned with the shame of knowing that, even if Hana was the one capable of giving Naruto the support he needed, she'd rather tear them apart, than give Naruto even the slightest amount of peace. She was given a perfect opportunity to finally keep her promise, and she had once again allowed herself to give in to her hatred.

Tsume couldn't even look at Teiru's picture next to her bed. She was sure if she did, she'd seen his shame and disappointment in her.

* * *

In retrospect, Naruto probably should have seen this coming. Every time he had a nightmare bad enough to wake Kurenai, he had coincidentally run into Yoshino a day or two later. He'd be walking down the street, turn a corner and there she was.

She'd ask him how he'd been, make some idle chit chat, then invite him out to eat or get something to drink. He'd agree, and Yoshino would drag him to some restaurant or other that always seemed to be on good terms with her, and they would suddenly be sitting in a table or booth that was far enough from any other for their conversation to go unheard but not too far as to be obvious, and then all of the sudden, she'd spring her trap.

"I heard you had another nightmare, Naruto-kun." And there it was.

Naruto didn't even bother trying to hold in his sigh. "Everyone has nightmares, Yoshino. Why do you always want to talk about mine?"

"Because everyone else knows better than to keep it all locked up inside. You however, are stubborn enough to try and deal with it on your own." She retorted gently. "I know you don't like talking about your feelings, but if you keep hiding from whatever it is you're so afraid of, you'll never have any sense of peace in your life.

"I'm not hiding!" Naruto said angrily. "Is it a crime to enjoy my privacy? To not want a bunch of people judging and analyzing every single word that comes out of my mouth?"

"No, of course not." Yoshino agreed. "However, you are being judged and analyzed, even if you don't notice it."

He knew she was just trying to bait him, to lure him into something that would get him to talk about the damn nightmare, but Naruto couldn't help himself. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan of course." Yoshino replied as if it were obvious. "Those two angels adore you, and are always listening to what you have to say."

"You're exaggerating." Naruto stated, uncomfortable with the idea.

"I'm not." Yoshino assured him. "When Hinata-chan and I get together for tea, ninety percent of what she has to say involves you. Including things like, "Naruto-niisama says that Elder Hotaru is just mad that his hair's falling out, and I shouldn't listen to what he says about my Jyuuken" or "Niisama says I should look into Genjutsu because it's much superior to flashy, noisy Ninjutsu."".

Naruto cringed slightly at that, especially since Yoshino was so good at mimicking Hinata's voice. But she wasn't done yet. "Now what happens when they hear you say you should keep your problems to yourself? How long do you think those two could last like that?"

"Alright, alright, enough with the guilt trip! I'll talk about the stupid dream, alright? Nosy shrink." Naruto muttered grumpily.

Yoshino's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "I am not a "shrink", Naruto-kun, and I would appreciate it if you didn't call me that."

"Anko says you are." He retorted quickly.

"Be that as it may, I don't believe we're here to talk about Anko." Yoshino replied. "And stop trying to change the subject."

"Fine." Naruto bit out. "What do you want to know?"

"You could start with the dream." She offered gently, her ever present notebook and pen at the ready.

Naruto glanced around, more than a little uncomfortable to be talking about this in the open, then slowly began. "I'm in the apartment…"

As he slowly explained the dream, Yoshino looked on with a sad look in her eyes as she wrote the occasional note. He was grateful that she only had him recite the dream once, and when he was done, he did his best to put the dream out of his mind. Unfortunately, she wouldn't let him. "Why do you think you dream about things like that?" Yoshino asked in that damnably gentle voice of hers.

"How should I know?" Naruto muttered. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Have you considered that this is your subconscious mind's way of telling you something?" Yoshino probed carefully.

Naruto frowned. "Like what?"

"Well, do you really believe the Sandaime would choose such a…climatic way to kill someone? In the middle of the street in broad daylight?" she answered.

He blinked at that. "Well, no, probably not. Being a ninja, I'd think it would be something a little more subtle."

"What about how he needed Kurenai to kill you? In your dream, she was needed to track you down so he could kill you, but in the end she refused and for some reason, the Hokage allowed it. Why would he do that?" The Nara Matriarch asked.

"I don't know…he said that he saw that people were helping me and he wanted to see how many so he could kill them too." Naruto slowly reasoned.

"But he noticed that people wanted to help you even before your Genjutsu, remember?" she pointed out. "My name was the first one he mentioned, yet he didn't say anything about going after me, or Shikamaru-chan, or Hinata-chan and Hanabi-chan. Even Konohamaru wasn't mentioned. So why would he suddenly decide the others were a threat?"

"Maybe he just didn't see children as a threat? I don't know, it was just a dream. It doesn't mean anything." Naruto said a little heatedly, though he didn't know why.

"But you were just a child once too. So why would he see you a threat and not them?" Yoshino pressed.

"I don't know." Naruto muttered, suddenly starting to see where this was going.

"Why would he wait so long if he wanted you gone? He would have waited for six years before you talked to anyone other than myself. Why?"

"I don't know." Naruto repeated with a glare.

"What could the Shinobi no Kami possibly find threatening about a little boy?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Naruto yelled as he surged to his feet. "I don't know why he's doing this, I don't know why he wants me dead! But I know he does! I know he gave me to _them_ so they could kill me! And when they failed he sent his Anbu to finish the job!"

He glared down at her as she sat there, looking calmly up at him as if he hadn't just screamed at her in a public restaurant. "One last question, Naruto-kun. Why did the other Anbu save you? Why did you even wake up in the hospital in the first place? Surely it would have been child's play for someone to finish you off as lay unconscious in the Sanada house?"

Naruto opened his mouth to spew out an angry retort, only to struggle to form the answer. Then he came to a disturbing realization. He didn't _have_ an answer.

He had had so many questions about what happened, that he just took everything about the situation he couldn't explain on his own and lumped them together to form 'the Truth'. It had never occurred to him to question it much. Why question it when the only one who could give him the answers was the one hiding the truth from him?

He stared at Yoshino for a moment longer, then turned on his heel and left, ignoring her calls to wait as he stormed from the cafe and jumped up to the nearest roof, simultaneously casting his Konohagakure no Jutsu. He headed off for the nearest training ground, deciding it would be best if he worked off his anger before he ran into someone he might hurt without intending to. Someone like Hinata or Hanabi. Or like Kurenai.

* * *

"Naruto-kun, wait!" Yoshino called as Naruto vanished from her sight. She might know about his Genjutsu, but knowing about it and being able to overcome it were two different things.

She bit at her lip worryingly, wondering if she had pushed him too hard, too fast. Should she have waited before pressing the matter? But the dream seemed such a perfect opportunity to finally begin breaking him of his fears that she couldn't help but jump at the chance.

Yoshino could admit that she was no longer maintaining a strictly professional relationship with the boy, who had now become a young man. No, she genuinely cared about the welfare of the child who had been almost like a second son, or favored nephew to her for the better part of a decade. Did her attachment to him make her act rashly?

She wasn't sure, yet all she could do now was hope that at the least, she'd made some progress. Otherwise, she might have just destroyed her and Naruto's relationship for good.

* * *

**AN**: Like I said, I'm not really satisfied with this one. As always, let me know what you think and feel free to give any reviews, criticisms, etc that you may have.

Peace, Vaan.


	20. Chapter 19

**Words-147231, Chapters-20, Reviews-703, Hits-375063, C2s-128, Favs-1239, Alerts-1272**

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**AN:** Well, I'm still alive. I apologise for the far too long of a wait, and that this chapter is still unbeta'd. I _was_ going to wait until I'd had a chance to get everything proof read by someone other than myself, but I decided that I'd made everyone wait long enough on this. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on, then left untouched for months before I finally got back to working on it again. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know.

Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 19 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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**Summary:** Sarutobi had always had the best of intentions when he made his decisions concerning Naruto. But, you know what they say about intentions and the road to Hell.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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Chapter 19

Naruto growled angrily as he delivered punch after punch to the training post in front of him. He didn't know why he was so surprised by Yoshino's actions. If anything, he should be surprised that she didn't do something like this sooner. Not that she was right of course. Naruto might not know the _entire_ truth behind the matter, but that didn't mean he had any doubts about what had happened all those years ago. Right?

Shaking his head, Naruto -with great effort- pushed the matter to the back of his mind and after a deep breath, tied a blindfold around his eyes. He had just about gotten to the point where he could cast the Kokuangyou, so now he just needed to focus on being able to actually use it in battle. Something which, as far as he could tell, required him to learn to fight without the use of his eyes.

A more than slightly difficult task without any experienced teacher to help him. He couldn't just ask Kakashi –if he could even trust the man- without running the risk of someone discovering that he was in possession of a Kinjutsu. Which meant he was stuck trying to figure it out on his own. He had made some degree of progress, as he was steadily learning how to utilize his sense of smell and hearing to make up for the lack of sight, but without an actual opponent, he couldn't do much. And the only way he could get to the point where his body could actually react to what he heard and smelt, required a lot more practice moving around without his eyes.

Easier said than done.

As he was stumbling through the motions of various katas, he was interrupted by an oh so familiar laughter.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hana asked between her laughing. "You look like a complete idiot right now, stumbling around blindfolded like that."

Feeling the blood start to rush to his face, he ripped the blindfold off and glared at the laughing Inuzuka. "What do you want?" he growled, feeling like a complete moron for being seen like that.

Still snickering slightly, Hana and her companions walked up to him. "I want some questions answered of course." Hana said simply. "You did say you'd give me some answers…for a price." She attempted to mimic his voice at the end, and she must have found it difficult to keep from laughing judging from slight redness that came to her cheeks.

"Come back later." He said with a frown. "I'm busy." It was taking far more effort than he would like to resist scratching Sanae's ears as she gazed up at him from her haunches.

"Aww, c'mon, don't be like that!" Hana whined. "Tell you what, you answer some of my questions now, and I'll help you out with…whatever it is you're trying to do."

Naruto started to refuse, but then paused in thought. The Inuzuka were supposed to be pretty good at tracking by scent, so she might be able to help him out a little. After all, his own ability with using his sense of smell was more or less self-taught, so the help of someone whose clan specialized in it could be invaluable. "How good are you at using your sense of smell and hearing? Do you know anything about blind fighting?"

"Are you kidding?" Hana asked with a satisfied smile. "You're looking at the head of Konoha's Tracking unit!"

Naruto blinked. "I wasn't aware we had a special tracking team." He took a little satisfaction in seeing the way her eye twitched at that.

"Well, we do!" Hana growled. "Anyway, my ears are no different than most people, and I don't know anything about blind fighting. Sorry."

Naruto shrugged resignedly. "Don't worry about it. It would have been too easy if you did, and God has declared that nothing can ever be easy for me." '_I guess I'll still have to figure it out on my own…oh well, the smelling will help at least.' _"All right, I'll answer a question or two, and you help me learn how to best utilize my sense of smell.

"Deal." Hana agreed instantly. "Okay, first question, why didn't you join the Academy when you were six, and why were you allowed to join two years late?"

"Well…" Naruto began slowly. "I didn't want to be a ninja for Konoha when I was six. And I don't know what you mean about that second one?"

Hana frowned slightly, "Don't you know? You can't just join the Academy late, or at least, not two years late. I've heard of people graduating late, but never joining late. So why was an exception made for you?"

Naruto blinked, and then frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know…" and as he thought about it, he couldn't think of any reason why the Old Man would have made such an exception for him. The only possible explanation was so he could send him on a suicide mission or something of the like. But even that didn't hold water, as the Old Man shouldn't need to do something like that to see Naruto dead. So why?

Shaking his head, he reminded himself that he could get all the answers once he cornered the Old Man. He just wished he didn't feel so uncertain about that now. "Anyway, that's two questions, so now you have to help me."

Hana looked decidedly unsatisfied, but consented after a moment. She spent the next hour revealing numerous insights to tracking by scent, surprising Naruto with how much he didn't know about his own nose.

After that, she had him put the blindfold back on -after making him take off his weapons to avoid any accidents- and put what she'd told him into practice. Once blindfolded, Hana and her companions began circling him, and Naruto would have to try to pinpoint their location by scent alone. To his surprise, he did much better than he expected, especially now that he wasn't fumbling in the dark–no pun intended- when it came to his nose, quickly getting the hang of sorting out the individual scents and being able to mark their location on a sort of mental map.

It wasn't perfect by any means, and he couldn't use it in a fight yet, but it was progress. Something that he'd been having little of lately.

Their training session came to an abrupt end when Hana decided she was bored. Had Naruto seen her sudden grin, and the doggy grins of the Haimaru, he might have reacted in time.

Instead, his only warning was the sudden weight as Hana leaped onto his back. Stumbling forward, Naruto reached up to remove his blindfold, and glared over his shoulder at a grinning Hana.

Before he could ask what she was doing, Hana playfully yelled, "Dog pile!"

Naruto barely had time to blink before Sanae and Kanae jumped at him, knocking him to the ground. A few moments of scrambling and struggling later, Naruto found himself lying on his back, Hana nearly nose to nose on top of him, one hand on his chest between them, with Kanae and Sanae draped across them both. The three of them together were actually enough to hold him down, much to his chagrin.

Scowling up at the laughing Hana, he missed the slight hint of red in her cheeks as she leaned a tad closer and declared, "Looks like I win this time, Naruto."

Feeling petulant, Naruto grumbled, "You cheated. If I hadn't been blindfolded you never would have touched me."

"Perhaps." Hana agreed with a laugh. "But that doesn't change the fact that I win."

Grumbling, he turned to the only one who hadn't joined in and said, "I feel so sorry for you, Mikoto. It must be hard looking after these three puppies." Mikoto sighed, and Naruto could swear she shrugged her shoulders in resignation.

"Who are you calling a puppy?" Hana growled playfully in his ear. "Last time I checked you're younger than me!"

"So?" Naruto drawled with a challenging smirk. "My age doesn't change your childishness."

Hana scowled at him as the red in her cheeks deepened, before softening considerably as her eyes settled on his face. "Naruto?" she asked quietly as she traced one of his scars with a feather light touch. "How did you get these scars?"

Naruto tensed uncontrollably at her question and grit his teeth as the memories returned. "From a knife, how else?" he spat with a hint of venom as he turned to the left, blocking her view of the scars.

Rather than answer or return to the banter he had expected, Hana slowly sat up, her companions seeming to detect the sudden mood change between them.

Naruto stared up at her as she seemed to struggle with her words for a moment. When she couldn't seem to find what she wanted to say, he stood up and began gathering his gear. "I think that's enough training for the day. Thanks for the help."

"…Yeah. I probably should get going too." Hana agreed finally as her companions gathered around her. As they made to leave, Hana paused next to him and hesitantly reached out to lay a hand on his forearm.

Curious, Naruto glanced over at her to see an uncharacteristically torn expression on her face. Hana's mouth opened and closed several times before she finally said, "Take care, Naruto."

Nodding, Naruto turned and went in the opposite direction, pondering Hana's oddly hesitant behavior. He couldn't shake the feeling that she meant to say something else when they parted.

* * *

_'I wonder if Tora has ever considered suicide? Or maybe murder? Can a cat contemplate suicide?'_ Naruto couldn't help but morbidly wonder as he watched the cat being smothered by Lady Shijimi, aka the Hi Daimyo's wife.

Well, he watched when he wasn't busy staring suspiciously at the Old Man or trying to pinpoint the room's hidden watchers. They were good, but not good enough to fool him. Unless of course, they wanted him to know they were there, in which case, they were just playing with him.

"Oh, my poor baby!" Madame Shijimi all but wailed as she squeezed the frantic cat. "You must have been so scared out there by yourself! Don't worry, mommy's got you, and she's not going to let you go ever again!"

If anything, Naruto thought the cat just struggled even harder at her words. And it might have been his imagination, but it seemed like the cat was looking at him with desperate, begging eyes.

Naruto would have almost sympathized with the poor creature, if it weren't for the fact that his team was regularly assigned the mission to retrieve it. That, and how whatever hostility the Haimaru mysteriously lacked when it came to him, Tora seemed to possess enough for all four and more.

Looking back over the last month, Naruto had been pleasantly surprised by the "missions" Teams Seven and Eight had been receiving. He knew that D ranks were the easiest and lowest ranked missions for a reason, but even he had been unprepared for the things asked of them.

Things like walking dogs, grocery shopping, babysitting, gardening, and of course retrieving Tora. All completely safe, if boring missions. And with the exception of Tora, all their missions were completed without a problem. Though to be fair, Naruto was as much to blame as the cat for that last one.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Alright team, same plan as last time. First one to find the target radios it in to the rest of us. No one should attempt to apprehend it alone. Understand?" Kakashi ordered in a lazy voice.

Naruto couldn't help but snort even as Sasuke and Sakura gave their assent in their own ways._ 'Like you ever do anything anyway, _Sensei._' _Naruto mentally sneered angrily.

As the team split up, Naruto jumped away in a random direction, not even attempting to look for the damn cat as he cursed his so called sensei.

Kakashi was...disappointing. He didn't train them very often, and even when he did, it was usually something small and simple like teamwork exercises and the like. He almost never gave them any pointers, and didn't even have them spar very often. They all showed up at the designated time -only to sit around pointlessly for hours- did a mission, then dispersed. And that's it. What made it even more absurd was that Naruto _knew_ that Kurenai worked her team into the ground. He'd watched over her during her team's training often enough to feel a pang of jealousy for the members of Team eight.

As far as Naruto could tell, Kakashi seemed to be the worst possible sensei he could have gotten. He knew the man had to be a talented Jounin, especially when he managed to stay alive with only one eye. But he had to be the laziest, most unmotivated bastard to ever receive the title of Jounin-sensei! The man never showed up on time, never taught them anything, and rather than help his "students" complete a mission, he just stood around reading porn all day! Enough was enough!

Shaking his head to clear away the aggravating and less than useful thoughts, Naruto glanced around and began to focus. First he allowed his "sixth sense" to feel for any hidden presences. When he found nothing, he concentrated on his hearing and Listened. As all ambient sounds faded away, Naruto concentrated on any noise that could even possibly be man made. Once again finding nothing, Naruto surreptitiously sniffed his surroundings. The lessons with Hana were clearly paying off, as he near instantly confirmed what his ears and "sixth sense" had been telling him. He was alone.

_'Now if only I could Listen without losing my other senses, or even combine it with my nose.'_ Naruto absently thought as he pulled a single piece of paper from one of his shoulder pouches. It was a square, two by two inch paper, with a number of markings on it that would be indecipherable to most eyes.

Naruto grinned smugly as he considered this particular seal. After he had captured Tora last week -for the second time no less- Naruto had decided to save himself some trouble if they ever received this mission again. Finding the cat alone had been a trial, but once he had, Naruto was able to capture it quite easily without giving himself away. Rendering the vicious creature paralyzed by a well-timed Kanashibari –which he was sworn to secrecy under penalty of a massive beating from Anko if he ever told Kurenai she'd taught him- Naruto had been quick to inscribe a tracking seal onto Tora's neck. Naruto's hunch had proven right, as they had received the Retrieve Tora mission yet again, and he suspected they would be seeing quite a bit of that wretched cat.

A brief pulse of chakra later, and the ink on the paper swirled together before forming into a small arrow in the paper's center, and a number beneath it.

Orienting himself, Naruto quickly followed the tracking seal to a small clearing, where he was forced to pinch himself. Surely he was seeing things.

After all, there was no way that Tora; vicious, cruel, ill-tempered and downright evil Tora, would ever spend it's time playfully chasing after butterflies. Naruto couldn't shake how...happy and content Tora looked. It was like looking at a different cat altogether. How could a cat as downright evil as Tora be so...normal? Granted, most of the time he saw the thing it was either being chased by his team, or being smothered by its owner. But still, it just seemed so... different.

A part of Naruto actually felt bad for the creature now. It obviously just wanted to be left alone, and given the "loving" treatment it received from its owner, Naruto couldn't really blame the creature. In fact, he was surprised to find that he actually sympathized with Tora.

At the same time, the client was the Daimyo's wife. Deliberately failing the mission was beyond foolish, and as much as he felt for the cat, Naruto had to put his own ambitions ahead of anyone that he wasn't close to.

That being said...

Naruto took a long look at Tora before turning and walking away. It wasn't like Kakashi would actually train them after the mission, so there was no real rush to catch the cat. What's a few more hours? And besides, he could always use the time to try to piece together Kurenai's Magen: Jubaku Satsu. She was_ still_ refusing to teach it to him after all these years. _'Stubborn, overprotective woman.'_ He thought to himself with a sigh of exasperation.

An hour or so later, Naruto had to admit that the damn cat had had enough freedom for one day, quickly pouncing on the little devil before he had a chance to run off again. A quick radio call to Kakashi and the others, and they were heading back to hand the little bastard over to his owner.

"Good job team." Kakashi said absently as he turned a page in his book. "Well, I suppose that's enough for today. We'll meet up again tomorrow at 0700 for some training. Dismissed."

Naruto stewed angrily as he watched Kakashi lazily saunter away, not even paying attention to Sasuke and Sakura as they departed as well. This really was getting out of hand. It wasn't even _noon_ yet for God's sake. _'No more.'_ Naruto growled angrily as he whirled around and stomped away. _'By God, I'm not going to put up with this shit anymore!'_

* * *

The next day, Naruto woke with the sun streaming across his face like always. Unlike usual, rather than begrudgingly getting up, Naruto rolled over and wrapped himself tighter before dropping off again. _'Fuck Kakashi.'_ He thought with a sneer, having deliberately shut off his alarm the night before_. 'Let's see how he likes a taste of his own medicine...'_

The next time he woke, it was due to the large displacement of air that signaled a Shunshin, which caused every fiber of his being to tense uncontrollably. Discreetly sniffing, Naruto resisted the urge to leap up and attack the intruder, even as he contemplated the quickest ways to kill or escape as necessary. Dogs, metal, oil, and old blood. Definitely Kakashi.

"You know, trespassing is a crime, Kakashi." Naruto drawled conversationally with his eyes still tightly shut.

"So is dereliction of duty, Naruto." Kakashi responded in his usual bored tone. "And that's Kakashi-sensei by the way."

"Whatever do you mean, Kakashi?" Naruto asked blandly as he opened one eye.

"You're four hours late for the team meeting, as I'm sure you know." His so-called sensei answered dryly. "You left your teammates hanging and wasted our time."

"Annoying, isn't it?" Naruto asked sarcastically as he finally sat up in bed, subtly palming a kunai beneath the sheets.

"Hmm, touché my cute little Genin." Kakashi said cheerily. "Now if only you'd grow your hair out and read Icha Icha, I could one up Gai again."

"Why did you even bother passing us if you didn't intend to teach us anything?" Naruto asked bluntly. "Unlike some people, I actually have important things to do with my time, other than babysit a couple of children."

"Maa, maa, Naruto. You shouldn't say that about your teammates." When Naruto just glared at him, he continued with a shrug. "And while I may have been a little lazy about it, I_ have_ been putting together a training regimen for all of you. That takes time. Especially since I have to actually observe you first to see what I should teach you."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" Naruto asked with a raised brow.

Kakashi just gave him that creepy eye smile of his. "Go to the team meeting tomorrow, and I'm sure you'll be pleased."

Studying the man for any signs of falsehood, Naruto slowly nodded. "Alright. Now get out of my home."

Kakashi just did that smile of his again as he disappeared in a Leaf Shunshin. _'Asshole did that on purpose.'_ Naruto growled to himself as he glared at the pile of leaves left behind.

* * *

**Flashback ends**

No, Naruto had _not _been pleased with his sensei, _or_ his training for the first few weeks. Although Naruto had to admit that things had livened up with Team Seven immediately after that encounter. Just as Naruto was about to give up any hope of receiving _any_ real training, Kakashi had finally decided –with a little prodding- that they were ready for some more…interesting training. First there was a repeat of their Genin test, which ended the same despite Team Seven more or less working together. Immediately following that, Kakashi had pitted them against each other to further test their endurance and abilities. Then he sparred them one on one.

Needless to say, by the time they were dismissed for the day, Team Seven had been left trembling in pain and shaking in exhaustion. And then they did it again the next day.

And surprising enough, Naruto found himself enjoying every minute of it, if still somewhat wary of the man. Sure, he'd basically traded Anko for Kakashi- minus the constant barrage of pointy metal objects- in that Kakashi near effortlessly crushed him time and again no matter what tricks he tried, but he could feel himself improving. The only downside that he saw was that pulling Ninjutsu out of Kakashi was just as difficult as getting Genjutsu from Kurenai. But overall, Naruto was very pleased, and while he hadn't been able to beat Kakashi yet, he _had_ come up with a few tricks to try out on Anko. Some of them had even worked.

As for his teammates...well, Naruto had to admit that he'd misjudged Sasuke. Oh, the Uchiha was completely single-minded, and everything he did was somehow related to his obsession with Itachi. In fact, Naruto was often tempted to taunt the younger boy about Itachi just to make him reckless in their spars. The only real reason why he refrained was because he didn't want to use up his advantage before he really needed it. That, and Yoshino had sat him down after he'd done something similar in an Academy spar with Chouji, and made him listen to a long lecture about how some subjects shouldn't be brought up lightly. He'd be lying if he said he agreed with, or even really understood everything Yoshino had said, but he tried to take the advice to heart, if for no other reason than that it was Yoshino giving it.

Although, Naruto found it both odd and if he was honest, unfair that no one had tried to saddle _Sasuke_ with his own therapist. After all, _Naruto_ was a perfectly well-adjusted individual, yet he and Yoshino had to sit down and talk once a week!

But Sasuke had an obsession with hunting down and killing his psychotic, legendary S rank Nin of a brother and no one said shit to him! Hell, Naruto couldn't remember a time when the kid did anything in his spare time but train, yet Naruto was the one who always had someone telling him to relax, or to do something fun, etc.

That being said, as narrow-minded as he was, Naruto had to admit the Uchiha took to Ninjutsu the way he himself took to Genjutsu. And while Sasuke was decent with Taijutsu, he was great with traps. Something Naruto was slightly miffed at.

Still, Naruto had to admit that he had misjudged the younger boy. Short of Shikamaru, Sasuke was probably the best teammate he could have gotten.

Sakura on the other hand... Well, the less said about the useless girl the better in his opinion. She'd actually had the nerve to _complain_ that Kakashi was pushing them too hard! Naruto wanted to strangle her after he heard that, especially after how long it took to get the man to actually start training them in the first place.

Honestly, Naruto didn't have a clue as to how Sakura became the top kunoichi of their class. In his opinion, Hinata was better than Sakura in almost every way, and she was supposedly only the third ranked kunoichi!

Sakura's Taijutsu was embarrassing, she couldn't hit anything with a kunai that wasn't standing still, and her chakra reserves were barely any higher than a civilian's! Not to mention she didn't seem to have any Nin or Genjutsu outside what the Academy taught. Hell, the only thing she had going for her was her chakra control. Not that that meant much considering her tiny reserves.

Despite these shortcomings, all Sakura ever did was follow Sasuke around and gush about "how cool" he was. She never really tried to put her all into their training, literally doing the least amount of work Kakashi would let her get away with, and she constantly dismissed anyone who called her on it –aka Naruto- stating that "I'm the top kunoichi of our year! Besides, if anything ever happens, Sasuke-kun will protect me!" And for some reason, Kakashi didn't do anything about it.

It made Naruto sick. Not because the girl didn't realize the dangers of being a weak kunoichi. No, if Sakura's refusal to really try got her killed, or turned into some enemy ninja's plaything, then that's on her as far as Naruto was concerned. But the problem was that her little fantasy world was just as likely to result in _other_ people's deaths as well. Like say, Naruto's.

And people actually expected him to respect and fight beside her?

"So Kakashi," the Old Man's voice suddenly shook Naruto from his contemplations. "Do you feel that Team Seven is ready for a C ranked mission?"

Naruto started as his eyes widened ever so slightly at that. A C rank? Them? Naruto didn't know whether to jump for joy, or narrow his eyes in suspicion. On the one hand, a part of Naruto would love to do something more...ninja-ish than the chores they've been getting. And maybe he could start working on getting his name into circulation that way. But considering that the Old Man was the source of the mission, it was only natural that he question the legitimacy of it.

Could this be a trap? Would Naruto step outside the village only to be set upon by Anbu or "missing-nin"? Would Kakashi receive orders to see to it that Naruto didn't make it back? After all, how much could he _really_ trust the Jounin? Or maybe the Old Man had something planned for when he was gone? Something involving Kurenai?

There were so many possibilities of plots and conspiracies that Naruto wasn't sure what to think, so he settled for staring at the Old Man, trying to keep his face calm as he awaited Kakashi's answer.

* * *

Kakashi hummed and lazily cupped his chin, looking for all the world like a bored child. Inside however, his mind was racing over the possibilities. Did he think his team was ready?

_'Well let's see...'_ Kakashi mused to himself. _'There's Naruto, who has good Taijutsu, perfect chakra control, is at least a Seal Adept, not to mention has unbelievable skill at Genjutsu, even creating his own B rank Genjutsu years before he started the Academy. He's constantly surveying the terrain and always trying to gather information, has situational awareness that's almost frightening at times, and is surprisingly good at tracking if the Tora missions are any indication.'_

Kakashi mentally frowned_. 'Of course, he's also a little…'_ Paranoid -even now his eyes were continuously darting from the Sandaime, to him, around the room, pausing on his teammates before visibly dismissing them, then repeating the process, muscles tensed to the point of snapping at the slightest noise- withdrawn, closed off, untrusting, unstable, and a sociopath_. 'That's not true.'_ Kakashi reprimanded himself. _'He cares about _some _people. Just not anyone on Team Seven.' _As much as Kakashi might not want to admit it, Naruto wasn't a shining example of what a fifteen year old Genin of Konohagakure should be. _'He's more like Orochimaru than either of his parents.' _

Then there was Sasuke, who was even _more_ withdrawn and anti-social than Naruto, if such a thing was possible. He was also unwilling to cooperate with anyone _except_ Naruto to a degree. That said, the Uchiha definitely had the potential to be a combat genius. He was gifted at Taijutsu, very accurate with thrown weapons, and already had a C rank Katon to use. Hell, Sasuke seemed to be the very epitome of the Uchiha clan, seemingly naturally skilled at anything combat related.

The problem was that Sasuke didn't want to learn anything except what _he_ believed to be combat skills. He considered things like Genjutsu, tracking, information gathering, stealth and survival training etc. to be "useless to his ambition". And if he thought it was useless, Sasuke just plain _refused_ to "waste time on it". This left Kakashi a little stumped, finding his student going from demanding training to refusing it was…surreal.

Sasuke's driving force was to fight and kill his brother to avenge their family. But it seemed the boy couldn't contemplate any way to do this except in a straight up fight. Something that Itachi, the epitome of a shinobi –with the slight exception of the whole genocidal rampage thing- was unlikely to give him.

Finally, there was Sakura. Honestly, Kakashi wasn't sure what to do with her. The girl's infatuation with Sasuke was practically pathological. Even worse, she seemed to live in some kind of fantasy world for the most part, ignoring anything or anyone that didn't fit her "perfect world". Despite that, Sakura had perfect chakra control, and she could be surprisingly clever when Sasuke wasn't around. She'd probably be great at Genjutsu, if only for her control and her bright mind. The problem was, Sakura cared more about Sasuke's opinions than Kakashi's. And since Sasuke never _gave_ the girl his opinion, she seemed to think everything was fine. So again, he was at a loss. How exactly does one go about convincing a girl that her fantasies were just that? Perhaps he was just struggling to interact with the child? After all, neither Sasuke nor Naruto could really be considered children at this point...

Overall, Kakashi had to admit, despite all their individual talents and potential, _'They're a disaster.'_ Kakashi sighed mentally. Sure, they _did_ pass the bell test more or less. Though he had to admit, his decision wasn't exactly unbiased. Naruto was his sensei's _son_ after all, and the village as a whole had spat on the man with the way Naruto was treated in those crucial years of child development. Not to mention that Sasuke was Obito's only remaining relative, and Kakashi liked to think that he could try to repay his best friend for all he did by looking out for Sasuke. And Sakura reminded him so much of Rin when he was looking over the pinkette's file, he couldn't help but see some similarities to his own team.

But the truth of the matter was, they weren't the second coming of Minato, Obito, or Rin. No matter how much Kakashi wished it was so.

So really, the answer seemed pretty simple. No, they weren't ready. Naruto didn't trust his team, Sasuke thought he needed to test himself at every opportunity, and Sakura was just...childish. It didn't help that he had dawdled when it came to their training either. Though, in his defense, he _was_ rather new at this. And things had only been made harder by the fact that everyone and their _mother_ had an opinion on how and what he should teach Naruto and Sasuke. If he had a gold coin for every time someone subtly or not so subtly tried to tell him not to teach Naruto anything or to teach Sasuke _everything, _then he could probably retire and do nothing but read for the rest of his life. Even the training he had given them thus far didn't seem to have made any headway with his students' respective attitudes.

No, a higher ranked mission was probably the last thing he should give them.

But then again, if they left the village, maybe Naruto would unwind a little. Even better, if they ran into some bandits, maybe Naruto would see that he could trust them to watch his back, maybe Sasuke could learn to cooperate, and maybe some bloodshed would shock Sakura out of her fantasy. _'An awful lot of maybes there.'_ Kakashi thought worriedly. _'Maybe I should have read those books on teaching after all.'_

"I suppose they're ready for something more challenging, Hokage-sama." Kakashi finally drawled. He studied his students' reactions to his words, hoping he'd made the right decision. Sasuke smiled eagerly, Sakura looked slightly uneasy, despite trying to look confident, and Naruto stayed rather calm and blank faced. And while Kakashi could tell the blond's mind was racing, he made sure to show no signs of interest in the boy's thoughts. No need to set the boy's paranoia off by seeming too interested in his reactions after all.

* * *

Naruto covertly glanced from the Old Man to Kakashi. Were the two plotting together? Kakashi had been surprisingly helpful in improving Naruto's Taijutsu and had even supplied some low level Nin and Genjutsu. Surely that meant he wasn't on the Old Man's side, right?

…

...Well, that didn't necessarily mean that Kakashi was on _his_ side either. But it did seem unlikely that he'd teach Naruto as much as he had if he intended to kill him. Especially since Kakashi had to know that people would come looking for answers if something happened.

Naruto was shaken out of his thoughts a second time as the Old Man called out, "Your mission is to escort a bridge builder by the name of Tazuna to his home in Nami no Kuni. Tazuna says he's worried about potential thieves and bandits, so it should be a relatively easy mission for you. Please come in, Tazuna."

Naruto waited curiously to see just what kind of client he'd been given. Once the man walked in, Naruto was not impressed.

The man was at least in his fifties, and had the look of a man who had worked all his life. From the deeply tanned skin, to the muscled arms, as well as the simple clothes he wore, everything about the man spoke of a lifetime of manual labor. Not to mention the appraising eyes he ran over Team Seven, the epitome of a man looking over his workers and tools to judge which would work out best for what he wanted.

The only thing that completely ruined his opinion of the man was the sake bottle in his hand and the flushed cheeks, completed by the unsteady way he leaned on the wall. '_A drunk'_. Naruto grimaced as he finished his inspection.

"This is it?" Tazuna asked disgruntledly. "Two of these guys are just little kids. They don't look like they could protect a fly! The pink one looks like she could be blown over by a strong breeze! I paid good money for a _team_ of ninja, not _half_ a team and two pipsqueeks!"

Naruto had to stifle a chuckle at Sakura's affronted expression, even as Kakashi placed a subtly restraining hand on her shoulder. Sasuke's expression was pretty funny too.

"Don't worry, Tazuna-san." Kakashi said cheerfully. "My team is perfectly capable of protecting you from bandits. And if we run into something my students can't handle, I'm a Jounin. Rest assured we'll get you back to Nami no Kuni safe and sound."

Naruto noticed that Tazuna still looked doubtful, and so helpfully added, "If you don't want our services, the Old Man will give you a refund." He had to admit, it was entertaining to study the various reactions to his words. Iruka practically looked apoplectic at his manner of addressing the aged Kage, while Sakura looked torn between outright attacking him and fainting. Disappointingly, Sasuke's and Kakashi's reactions were unnoticable but for a slight widening of Sasuke's eyes and Kakashi giving off that air of laughter even as his patented lazy expression remained unfazed. The strangest reactions of all belonged to the Old Man and Tazuna.

The Old Man looked slightly vexed and oddly hurt at Naruto's form of addressing him. Naruto frowned slightly, wondering what the Old Man was up to.

Tazuna on the other hand, actually turned pale, before rapidly assuring them that it wouldn't be necessary. "Alright, fine! I guess you'll do." Tazuna grumbled before regaining his gruff attitude. "Listen up brats! My name is Tazuna, the Super Awesome Bridge Builder! You all better give your lives to protect me and my bridge!"

Naruto rolled his eyes at the man's boisterous demand. _'Not a chance you old drunk...'_ He thought to himself, confident that the old civilian was just that.

"Well, you heard the man." Kakashi drawled lazily. "Meet at the Main Gate at 0900 tomorrow morning with enough gear for a week long mission. Dismissed."

Grateful and anxious to be away from the Old Man, Naruto nonetheless made sure to calmly walk away, unwilling to show any weakness to his enemies. Despite that, Naruto was afraid his tension would be noticeable to an Academy student, let alone the Old Man and his Anbu.

Once he had walked several blocks away from the tower, Naruto glanced around and discreetly darted into an alleyway. As soon as he was out of sight, he used Shunshin to travel to the Hokage Monument, then again to the Academy, followed by a final one to his room.

Once there, Naruto Listened for anything signaling that he'd been followed. When he heard nothing, he shakily collapsed onto his bed, desperately trying to calm his racing heart.

He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. Naruto had thought he could face the Old Man as often as necessary. After all, he wasn't the same frightened little boy from all those years ago. He had grown stronger, smarter, more cunning and determined, and had thrown himself into his various training. There was no reason why Naruto couldn't stand in the Old Man's presence for the short time that receiving or reporting missions took, even if it was the most nervewracking time of his life.

But Naruto had severely overestimated himself. Standing in the Old Man's heart of power, his sixth sense going haywire at the hidden Anbu that Naruto knew were all around them. If he was crazy enough to leave himself exposed, Naruto was sure he could Listen and hear the heartbeats of the Old Man's hidden killers. The mission's room was practically saturated by the smell of old blood.

And perhaps worst of all, was the way the Old Man smiled at him, taking pleasure in watching him squirm as his eyes desperately darted from the Old Man to around the room as he instinctively tried to pinpoint the Anbu while keeping an eye on the aged Hokage. _'Why does he keep toying with me? Why doesn't he just-' _Naruto forcefully drove that thought from his mind, not liking the way Yoshino's voice seemed to overlap his thoughts.

Firmly placing his attention back onto the problem at hand, Naruto had to sigh at the simple realization. It was getting worse. In a way, Naruto supposed he should be glad to get a mission outside the village. Perhaps he'd be able to relax and get over this by the time he returned. If he didn't...Naruto didn't think he could last much longer without lashing out at the Old Man and his Anbu. And once he crossed that line, there would be no going back. Worse, even if he managed to kill the Old Man and his Anbu, the chances of him making it out of the village were slim at best.

Still shaking slightly, Naruto got up from the bed and made his way back outside in search of some much needed ramen. And while he was at it, he should probably track down Kurenai and let her known about his C rank. Probably Yoshino as well...and Shikamaru...and Hinata...and Hanabi...and now that he thought about it, Naruto really seemed to have a lot more people he needed to be considerate of than he thought.

_'How did that happen?'_ Naruto asked himself with a frown. For the longest time, Naruto's only connections were with Yoshino and after a time, Shikamaru and Genma. Then he found Kurenai, though their relationship had been rather rocky at first. Of course, with Kurenai came Anko, like a nasty rash you just couldn't get rid of.

Then when he started the Academy, he found himself looking out for the tiny Hinata, acting as her shield from the world. As the years passed, he somehow volunteered himself for looking after little Hanabi as well. Not to mention somehow acquiring a fanatical little follower in the Old Man's grandson, Konohamaru. And while he found the boy's constant gushing about heroes to be unbelievably annoying, a part of him could admit he enjoyed being looked up to and idolized like that.

Honestly though, how did someone like him end up with eight...whatever they were to him? They all annoyed him to a degree, yet he couldn't help but feel a little more alive in their presence. Even Anko-

Naruto stopped dead and stared in absolute horror. In front of him was the glorious Ichiraku ramen stand. Attached to its entry way was a single, heart crushing sign that simply read "condemned".

_'This-this can't be!'_ Naruto mentally wailed as the blood drained from his face. _'They can't condemn Ichiraku's! Teuchi is the most obsessive-compulsive cleaner I know!'_

His hands were half-raised for a Kai when there was a bright flash followed by an annoyingly familiar cackle.

"Oh that was perfect! The look on your face!" Anko crowed as her Genjutsu collapsed, before dissolving into laughter once again. "And I even got a picture! Oh, I'm gonna post copies all over town!"

Lowering his hands, Naruto sent her a hate filled glare that she answered by collapsing onto her back and kicking her feet in hysterical glee. Which coincidentally, gave anyone who cared to look quite a show.

Scowling and averting his eyes quickly, Naruto moved his glare from Anko to her "accomplice" whom he recognized as the old man who took the picture for his Genin Registration. The old bastard visibly wilted under his glare, and looked like he'd rather be anywhere but here.

The man's gravelly voice sounded quite odd as he nervously asked, "Please kunoichi-sama, I've done what you asked, and I swear I'll make the copies just like you wanted. So will you let me go now, please?" The man was practically pleading by the end as he wrung his hands nervously, his eyes darting from Anko to Naruto often.

Anko's legs stopped in mid kick, and she ever so slowly turned her head to face the man. The pose would have looked ridiculous with her legs frozen in the air -once again giving quite the show to anyone who happened to look- and her arms wrapped around her stomach, if it weren't for the strange, frighteningly blank expression on her face. "What's the matter, Genzou? You're acting like I kidnapped you or something. Don't you want to be around the Great, Sexy, and Single Anko-sama?"

"But you did!" Genzou sputtered frantically. "You grabbed me off the street when I was heading home! And then you made me stand here with my camera all day, on the off chance that kid would come by!"

"Now you're just making things up." Anko said dryly. "It wasn't an "off chance" that the Brat would be coming here. He always comes here sooner or later."

Naruto twitched angrily as Anko scolded the old photographer about the evils of lying. His hand oh so slowly started drifting towards his shuriken holsters, the only thing keeping him from hurling a fistful of deadly metal at the irritating woman was the knowledge that Ayame and Teuchi would not be pleased if their stand was damaged. They might even cut him off for good if he went that far, and that was something he wasn't willing to risk no matter how tempting a target Anko was.

Taking a deep breath, Naruto forcefully calmed himself and, careful to avoid another eyeful of Anko's flesh, stomped his way inside the stand.

His anger was further dulled by the bowl of ramen waiting for him, courtesy of an amused looking Teuchi. "What are you smirking at, you old bastard?" Naruto groused as he took his seat and dug into the bowl of ambrosia.

"Just a victim of an unusual prank." Teuchi chuckled. "Though I've got to admit Naruto; it was rather flattering to see you so heartbroken when you thought you couldn't have any of my ramen."

"I was not heartbroken!" Naruto hissed around a mouthful of noodles. "I don't even like your ramen that much! In fact, I could give it up anytime I want to. I just don't want to." He muttered that last part before tossing back the remaining broth in the bowl and slammed it back down. "Keep 'em coming, Teuchi! I won't be able to have any for awhile, so today I want all I can eat!"

"Sorry kid, you're still only allowed two bowls." Teuchi said with a wistful sigh. "It's a shame too; I could use the increased revenue..."

"Oh come on!" Naruto protested. "I'm leaving the village for weeks tomorrow! Are you really going to cut me off just like that?"

Teuchi just shrugged. "You told Ayame that the boy she's chasing is a brainless sack of meat, which is too stupid to realize that if a mustache hasn't grown in after ten months, it's not going to."

"You agreed with me." Naruto deadpanned. "And you called him a worthless little bastard who should have been drowned at birth."

"I'm her father. I'm allowed to hate the boys she hangs out with." The old chef replied with a shrug. "You're not."

Before Naruto could retort, an unfortunately familiar wail split the air. "Naru-chaaaan!" Anko whined as she draped her arms around his shoulders. "How could you leave a helpless and delicate flower like me just lying out in the street like that? What if someone came along and tried to take advantage of me?"

Naruto just snorted and pushed her face away so she was no longer rubbing her cheek against his. "You're about as delicate as a rock, Anko. I pity the poor, deluded bastard that gets it into his head to try to "take advantage" of you." Naruto scorned with exaggerated quotation marks.

Anko gasped loudly and clasped her hands over her heart as she sat next to him. When Naruto ignored her, Anko's eyes became wide and watery as her bottom lip trembled. "How could you say that, Naru-chan? You never had any complaints about my breasts being too small when you had me tied to your bed while you-"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Naruto sputtered as his face grew hot. It didn't help that a part of his anatomy found the mental image quite enjoyable. Seeing Teuchi's scandalized expression, he quickly defended himself. "That never happened! She's making it up, I swear!"

Teuchi just shook his head and went back to work with a muttered, "Kids these days."

Once the chef had gone back to work, Naruto fixed the smugly grinning Anko with his best glare. "Why do you always do that!?" He hissed angrily.

Anko actually had the nerve to blink in confusion. "Because I think it's fun. I'd think that even someone as dumb as you could figure that out after all this time."

Anko nonchalantly dodged his attempt stab her with a chopstick before grinning again. "So you've got yourself a C rank, huh? Congrats I suppose."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and stared suspiciously at her over his second bowl. "What's that supposed to mean, you "suppose"?"

Anko shrugged. "Eh, C ranks aren't much more than babysitting gigs for most Jounin. All they are is a way to break Genin in on something easy. You'll never find any Special Jounin or higher on a C rank. Let me guess, you're babysitting some civilian while he goes from point A to point B, right?"

Naruto blinked in surprise and nodded slowly. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Like I said, almost all C ranks involve escorting someone or something. It's pretty standard." Anko explained before tilting her head in thought. "I suppose I should give you some words of wisdom for your first mission outside the village..."

Naruto didn't even try to hold in a disdainful snort. "Wisdom? From you?"

Anko nodded seriously as she fixed a firm look on him. "Rule number one: if it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, it's probably an enemy ninja trying to kill you." She said it in such a serious manner; it took Naruto a second to really register it. "Rule number two: in the shinobi world, there's no such thing as overkill or redundancy. Rule number three: nothing is impossible."

Naruto stared at her in disbelief, before his eye slowly started twitching. "What kind of wisdom is that? What is that even supposed to mean?" He growled angrily.

"You tell me." Anko retorted as she leaned back against the counter. "Put that thing between your ears to use."

Naruto frowned, and opened his mouth to tell her off, only to pause at the judging look in her eyes. Technically, rule number three was fairly straightforward. And now that he thought about it, no such thing as overkill pretty much boiled down to you can never be too sure. So if those two meant something, then the first one had to as well, right? After giving it some thought, Naruto was fairly certain he knew the answer. "Appearances can be deceiving, so don't make assumptions and discard things out of hand. Feel free to use more force than might be necessary. Keep an open mind."

"Eh, close enough." Anko grunted as she dug in one of her pockets and produced a skewer of dango which she promptly dipped in the miso soup Teuchi placed in front of her. "As long as you got the general gist of it, I'm sure you'll do fine."

"If that was so important, why didn't you just say it straight out?" Naruto asked irritably as he reluctantly relinquished his empty second bowl to Teuchi and paid for the meal.

"Because this way was more fun." She replied with a shrug. "And as long as you understand, how I explain it doesn't really matter. And before you ask, I'm helping you out because I want to. Now c'mon." She beckoned as she stood and started out of the stand.

Curious, Naruto paid for his food and followed her out. "Where are we going?"

Anko glanced back at him with a smirk. "It's something of a custom to give Genin some advice and show them a good time before their first "real" missions. And since every other one of your admittedly few friends are busy, I'll take you bathing with me."

"Huh?" Naruto asked eloquently as he stopped dead.

"You and me, we're going bathing." said Anko. "There is nothing like a nice bath to calm a guy's nerves before his first mission."

"Very funny, Anko." Naruto growled. "I'm not going to a public bath, and I'm certainly not going with you!"

"Who's joking?" asked Anko. "You're going with me to the bathhouse and that's that."

"Like hell I am!" Naruto snarled. "If I wanted to take a bath, I'd go home."

"Naru-chan is so mean." Anko whined loudly before looking at him quizzically. "What are you so afraid of? That you'll get hard at seeing the Great, Sexy, Single Anko naked?"

"Yeah right!" said Naruto, blood flowing to his face and feeling himself stir at the mental image and desperately trying shake away the disturbing thoughts. This was made harder by the seemingly innocent, yet erotic poses Anko was doing. Poses that seemed to be focused on trying to get him to look at her breasts. "I just don't do public baths."

Anko snorted, grabbing Naruto's arm before he could escape and dragging him with her.

"Anko, stop dragging me, I'm not going to- I mean, seriously, it's not like we can even bathe together even if you want to. I'm sure it's against the rules or something!" Naruto argued vehemently as he struggled against her pull.

"Nope," chirped Anko happily. "They have private baths for couples."

"Couples!" Naruto sputtered. "We're not a couple!"

"They don't need to know that." Anko stated simply before sighing. "Look Brat, today might be your last day on this earth. The dumbest mistake on your part or your team's part can get you killed. So just humor me, ok?"

Naruto's attempts to escape lessened at that, though he didn't give up completely. This more serious side of Anko was a rare thing, and Naruto was still a little unsure as how to read her when she was like this.

In the end though, Anko would not be denied her bath with him, and Naruto eventually decided it was safer to indulge her, lest she do something drastic to get her way.

Besides, it wasn't like she could really try anything, right? They were going to be in a public bath house, so any ruckus wouldn't be ignored…right?

It was...different, bathing with someone else, though it wasn't as bad as Naruto had feared. They both had towels for one thing, and unlike the way Naruto had imagined it, Anko's towel was by no means a tiny, skimpy thing. It actually did a credible job concealing her body, and if the area around her chest was a bit tighter than necessary, it was still better than her regular outfit.

Anko even became eerily calm and serene once she hit the water. Occasionally they engaged in meaningless banter, threats, and hurled insults, but mostly they just relaxed.

Well, as much as Naruto could relax when being in a bath with Anko. That part was every bit as difficult as he feared, as even with the towel, Naruto was acutely aware that he was alone in a bath with a mostly naked woman. One that Naruto had to admit -even if it made him a little nauseous- was very beautiful.

"Hey Naruto," Anko suddenly spoke up. "Turn around and I'll wash your back for you.

Much to his chargrin, Naruto couldn't prevent the blush, nor the way his mouth dropped open in shock.

Seeing his look, Anko let out a hearty laugh. "Oh my, are we having naughty thoughts, Naru-chaaaan?"

Naruto sputtered incoherently for a second, before spinning around to hide his...condition. His face burned even hotter when Anko's laughter died down to a few chuckles. "Get your mind out of the gutter, you little perv." She ordered with a snicker as she moved in behind him and started scrubbing at his back with a washcloth.

For Naruto, the situation had already spiraled wildly outside his expectations and experience. Before today, he'd never had someone bathe with him before, and he hadn't been given a bath since he was four. He quite literally didn't know how to act. The fact that it was Anko who he was with, someone who made even the long suffering Kurenai shake her head and Yoshino pointblank refused to try and get inside her head, with a sadistic sense of humor made it even worse. So he just sat there, stiff as a log while Anko methodically washed his back, relaxing only when she finally finished.

Sighing in relief, he turned around and was promptly slapped in the face by a wet washcloth. Growling, he ripped the cloth off with a snarl that died in his throat as he set his eyes on Anko.

She was sitting in the water facing away from him, one hand holding the towel to cover her front, leaving her back completely exposed to him above the water.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" He choked out as the blood rushed to his face and...elsewhere.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Anko asked with a raised eyebrow. "I'm letting you return the favor. Get to it."

Naruto gulped as he slowly closed the distance between them, hesitantly reaching for her back. He froze in his tracks when Anko looked over her shoulder at him. "Oh, Naru-chaaaan." She said with a smile. The same smile she wore right before trying to skewer him with whatever she had on hand, be it dango stick or kunai. "If your hands -or any other part of your body for that matter- touches me anywhere they shouldn't..." Anko's smile grew even more pleasent, serving to set Naruto even more on edge. "I'll cut said body part off. Understand?"

Nodding with a grimace, Naruto carefully went about washing the woman's back. The silence stretched out between the two until Naruto noticed something that seized his attention in a vicelike grip. "Anko," Naruto abruptly broke the silence. "What's that thing on your neck?"

Anko flinched as if he'd stabbed her, and covered the black mark with her hand. "It's nothing."

"It's some kind of seal, right?" Naruto asked curiously. "What does it do?"

"Can't you take a hint? Back off." Anko hissed dangerously.

For a moment, Naruto's fascination warred with his sense of self-preservation. Normally, there would be no contest, but Naruto blamed that on the hot water and all around unnerving day. "Oh come on, I have an interest in seals, you know? Just let me look at it for a bit."

Anko grinned at him. "Why Naru-chaaaan, are you trying to get an excuse to feel me up? You should know what a bad idea that is."

The danger laced in her tone should have warned him off, but Naruto's stubborn streak proved to be his undoing. "Look, it will only take a minute." He said absentmindedly as he reached out to touch the mysterious seal...and was promply pushed back by Anko's fist connecting with his chin in a fierce uppercut. She hit him hard enough that he flew out of the water and landed hard on his back. "Hands off." She growled with murder in her eyes. "If Kurenai weren't so attached to you, I'd peel the skin from your body with a jagged piece of glass!"

Grimacing from the pain in his jaw, not to mention the level of killing intent she was directing at him, Naruto carefully raised his hands in surrender, ready to run for his life if it looked like Anko might try to carry out her threat.

When Anko stopped looking like she intended to murder him, Naruto carefully returned to the water, trying to remain out of her reach lest she decide he needed further punishment.

_'Well, I guess now I know why she was so upset about _my_ seal.'_ Naruto thought as he remembered that particular day.

* * *

**Flashback**

Naruto panted tiredly as he glared at the grinning Special Jounin. Today was a rare day off from the Academy, and Naruto was determined to get in some _real_ training. Unfortunately, Kurenai had another "meeting" that she needed to go to. Even worse, Anko had been nearby and graciously "volunteered" to spar with him. That is, she grabbed him and Shunshined them to the nearest training ground, where she promptly started throwing kunai and shuriken at him. That was an hour and many close calls ago.

Anko had once again reduced his clothes to tattered ribbons, despite his best efforts. In fact, a few threads on his right shoulder were all that was keeping the remains of his shirt from falling right off. _'There's no way I can fix this one.'_ Naruto absently thought as he plotted his next move. No sooner did Naruto think that then the last few threads snapped, dropping the tattered shirt to the ground. "Damn it!" He snarled as he kicked the rags angrily. This was far from the first shirt Anko had destroyed, and Naruto had long since grown tired of it.

Turning back to yell at Anko, his eyes widened in panic when he couldn't find her. Knowing what a bad idea it was to stand still while Anko was missing, Naruto attempted to throw himself forward. He took all of a step before an iron grip dug into his shoulder and yanked him back.

Grimacing at the painful hold, Naruto was surpised to see a mixture of furious rage and utter terror in Anko's eyes. Eyes that he noticed were fixed on his control seal.

"What is this?" Anko practically hissed in a low voice.

"It's a seal." Naruto answered evasively as he tried to pry himself from the young woman's grasp.

"Don't fuck with me!" Anko roared as she shook him angrily. "I know it's a seal! Did someone put it on you!? Who was it? I'll make them scream for days before they die!"

Now he was officially freaked out. Anko did _not_ get protective, and she most certainly didn't get _scared_. _Ever_. So what was it about his seal that was setting her off?

"Don't worry, Naruto." Anko quickly assured him as she glanced around frantically. "I won't let anyone find out about it, but you have to talk to me! Who did this to you?"

Finally getting over his shock Naruto once again tried to pry himself free. "What the hell is wrong with you? Get off me!"

Naruto didn't think it was possible, but Anko looked even _more_ distraught than before. "Oh God...don't tell me you don't _remember_ who did this to you? Damn it, Naruto! How long have you been hiding this from us?!"

"Of course I remember!" Naruto growled in irritation. "How could I forget about my own seal?"

"You…you made this?" Anko asked in little more than a whisper. "What does it do?"

"None of your business!" Naruto snapped, only to flinch when Anko's grip intensified.

"You stupid little shit!" she snarled as she shook him like a rag doll. "You don't go around experimenting with seals on your own body! What if something went wrong!?"

"But it works fine!" Naruto shouted defensively. "Sure it has some flaws, but nothing that I can't work around!" Naruto watched as what little fear had been in Anko's eyes was replaced by pure anger, right before she tried to punch his nose out the back of his skull. Instead, all that happened besides the obvious crunch of cartilage was Naruto flying through the air and crashing to the ground.

Hacking up blood, Naruto pushed himself up to see a snarling Anko stalking closer to him. "What the hell is your problem, you crazy bitch!?" he yelled through his broken nose.

The slight narrowing of her eyes was his only warning, and was barely enough for him to scramble to his feet and dodge the handful of kunai that Anko hurled at him. He didn't even bother protesting, just ran away as fast as he could with a raging Anko peppering him with every weapon she had on hand…which was quite a lot.

* * *

**Flashback end**

Whether Anko had forgotten about asking after his seal, or just plain didn't care what it did, she never brought up his seal again after that. Eying her warily to make sure she wasn't planning a repeat of that day, Naruto cautiously shifted a little closer to her. If he could just get one more look at her seal maybe he could-

"I'm done." Anko stated as she suddenly stood and exited the tub. "Remind me to break some of your bones for ruining my bath." She called over her shoulder as she left him alone.

Fuming, Naruto tried to call up what he had seen of her seal from memory. No easy task considering how briefly he was able to examine it, and even if he could remember, it was hard to figure out the function of an unknown seal once it had been compressed. Particularly a seal as complex as this one seemed to be. Even worse, Naruto was sure that he'd seen not just one seal but two – the unknown seal and some kind of a blocking one around it.

"Damn it." Naruto muttered as he reluctantly gave up on figuring out the mystery seal. There just wasn't enough for him to work with.

Tugging his jacket on over his shoulder harness, Naruto absently wandered away from the bathhouse, his mind still occupied trying to puzzle out Anko's seal. Considering her reaction to it, she probably had some bad experiences with it, or associated with it. Which meant getting any info out of her would be like pulling teeth from a tiger. Both difficult, and likely life-threatening.

Sighing, Naruto paused for a moment to sniff at the air, and then abruptly turned down a slightly crowded street that he knew would take him towards a small park. Sure enough, his little stalker followed him doggedly, though with slightly better stealth than he was used to experiencing with Konohamaru.

Smirking to himself as he reached his destination, Naruto swiftly darted off the street into the deserted park, forcing his pursuer to keep up or lose him in the trees.

Coming around a large tree, Naruto abruptly stopped and turned, just in time for his impatient pursuer to come running around the tree and crash into his legs. "What's up, Hanabi?" he asked amusedly as the girl looked up at him through her hair in surprise, before those pale lavender eyes narrowed angrily, the tell-tale veins bulging as she lashed out at him. Stepping back out of range of her first strike, Naruto couldn't keep the smirk from his face as Hanabi attacked with a fairly standard Jyuuken attack combo. Left palm, right palm, left palm, followed by a leaping spin kick.

Naruto's reaction was equally standard after years of sparring with the Hyuuga sisters. Step back, step back, move to the side, and catch Hanabi's foot. Keeping a firm grip, Naruto lazily spun Hanabi in a circle, his speed usually enough to have her squealing in glee. So he was quite surprised when instead she twisted her body enough to jab his hand, forcing him to release her as his hand suddenly became numb and useless.

Flying through the air, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief when Hanabi hit the ground in a clumsy shoulder roll, but more or less broke her fall.

Shaking his hand out, Naruto watched with a raised eyebrow as Hanabi stared at him with her usual determined glare. Seeing something different than usual, Naruto narrowed his eyes in thought at the anger and a strange sort of sad disappointment in her glare. Pondering what he might have done to earn her ire; Naruto didn't even bother dodging her next palm strike. She didn't even put any chakra into it, so the palm hitting his lower side had all the effect of…well, a seven year old girl striking him with her palm.

Tilting his head to the side, Naruto frowned at the girl. He couldn't see her downturned face due to her hair blocking it, but the way her body shook from her shuddering breaths, it was obvious that Hanabi was distraught. Now he just had to figure out _why_ she was so upset.

Smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way; Naruto playfully ruffled her hair as he stepped around her, taking a seat against a tree and patting the ground next to him as he did so. He knew she could see him, since she still had trouble controlling her Byakugan whenever she was emotional. Oddly enough, it wasn't that concerning since her problem stemmed from the fact that her bloodline would activate on its own and stay activated until she could calm herself down. Naruto actually thought Hanabi's little problem was cute in its own way.

And after a moment, Hanabi proved him right by stomping over and plopping down next to him with a huff, stubbornly folding her arms and facing away from him. He might have been more worried if she didn't lean back against his shoulder without a second thought.

When the silence stretched on, Naruto wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her into himself. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong, or are you going to make me guess?" He asked playfully.

His only answer was Hanabi struggling to throw his arm off her, along with a couple jabs from her elbow.

Frowning, Naruto allowed her to tire herself out before asking, "Did something happen at the Academy? Are you still having trouble making friends?"

The glare she sent him quickly ruled that out, as the look in her eyes seemed to say that she found him asking that to be almost as bad as whatever he had done to make her angry in the first place. The vehement hiss of, "Of course not, you idiot!" just served to drive the point home.

He waited for her to elaborate, but Hanabi just returned to her scowling and silent treatment, punctuated by the occasional elbow, scratch, and at one point, biting his hand. Somewhat at a loss that the usually exuberant and talkative girl wasn't reacting to his attempt to goad an explanation from her, Naruto glanced around for a clue as to what to do next. Spying a small duck pond nearby, he was suddenly struck by inspiration. A plan forming in his mind, Naruto rose to his feet, easily lifting the seven-year-old off the ground as he did so. Holding her under his arm much like a sack of potatoes, Naruto made his way out into the middle of the pond.

It didn't escape his notice that Hanabi's struggles ceased almost from the moment they left the shore. In fact, she was now clinging to him while she stared at his feet in awe. Feeling almost ridiculously pleased that he could awe the young child so easily, Naruto asked with a nonchalant smirk, "Want to give it a try?"

He chuckled at the way Hanabi's head snapped up to stare at him; her anger seemingly quenched judging by the lack of telltale bulges. Of course, the way her mouth was opening and closing as she tried to form the words to express herself were just further proof that he'd succeeded. After a moment, she seemed to just settle on, "How?!"

Getting the gist of what she was trying to say, Naruto shifted them so that while he maintained a firm grip on her hand, Hanabi practically wrapped herself around his leg mere inches above the water. Chuckling at her actions, Naruto said, "This is called Suimen Hokou no Waza. It's basically a variation of the Kinobori no Waza. You remember what I taught you about that before you started the Academy?" When Hanabi nodded unsurely, he continued. "The Suimen Hokou no Waza allows you to walk on the water as if it was a solid surface. All you have to do is focus an even amount of chakra out of the soles of your feet, and you can balance yourself on the very surface of the water. It also allows you to improve your chakra control." Naruto paused to give her a moment to absorb the information, before asking, "Do you understand, Hanabi?"

The little girl cautiously probed the water with her toe as she answered. "I think so, but…" Looking up at him uncertainly, Hanabi asked, "Isn't this a really advanced technique for someone my age, Niichan?"

Naruto just shrugged uncaringly. "Technically, it's an advanced Genin skill, just like tree climbing. But that didn't stop you from learning that either."

Of course, Naruto had been rather insistent that both Hanabi and Hinata learn tree climbing as soon as he thought they were capable of it. After all, if Kurenai thought he needed to know it before joining the Academy, then it must be important. Although, it had hurt his pride at how quickly first Hinata, and then just under a year ago, Hanabi had gotten it down.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, Naruto tried to lower Hanabi the last few inches to the water, only to be thwarted by the way she clung to him. "What's wrong?" he asked with a raised brow.

Hanabi blushed in embarrassment before whispering, "Promise you won't let go?"

Naruto blinked in surprise at the request, before admitting –at least to himself- that the thought _had_ crossed his mind. _'Maybe Anko's been rubbing off on me more than I thought…'_ Naruto pondered with a shiver. Smiling slightly, Naruto simply nodded his head and once again lowered Hanabi toward the water.

This time she didn't resist him, and although her grip on his hand and pant leg remained firm, she still quickly sank up to her shins before jerking herself back out of the water and onto him.

Chuckling at the fierce look of concentration on her face, Naruto remained silent as Hanabi planted one foot on his own and slowly nudged at the water with her other. A short time passed before her left foot was resting shakily on the water's surface, and then she began to repeat the process with her other foot.

When she succeeded about ten minutes later, Hanabi beamed up at Naruto excitedly, right before her lapse in concentration caused her to sink almost to her knees before Naruto hauled her back up.

"Not as easy as it looks, is it?" Naruto teased with a smirk, only to grin at the red-faced scowl Hanabi sent him in response.

And so they passed the next few hours, the silence broken by the occasional piece of advice from Naruto and the small splashes from Hanabi. Naruto had to admit, Hanabi took to the exercise far quicker than he himself did. While she couldn't quite get to the point where she could do it subconsciously, Hanabi was capable of taking small steps around hand in hand with him, and by the end, she finally released his hand with only minimal coaxing from Naruto.

Hanabi's footing was a little shaky at first, but she seemed to slowly get the hang of walking by herself, more or less. "Good job, Hanabi." Naruto congratulated her with a feeling of pride at her accomplishment. Granted, she obviously couldn't use it in combat yet, and she still had quite a ways to go before truly mastering the exercise, but that didn't change the fact that she had accomplished something at seven years old that he hadn't even attempted until he was ten. Even then, he'd already begun experimenting with his control seal at the time, giving his control a moderate boost.

Hanabi beamed at his praise, and excitedly ran towards him with her arms wide. "Niichan, look-" at which point her concentration failed and she plunged into the pond with a splash. Coughing and spluttering as she came back to the surface, Hanabi flailed around as she tried to climb back on top of the water while instinctively attempting to tread water at the same time.

Laughing more than he had in what seemed like a long time, Naruto walked forward and scooped the struggling girl up in his arms, settling her against his hip without a second thought. "Looks like you need more practice, Hanabi." He teased through his laughter, feeling better than he had in a long time.

Shrugging off Hanabi's pouting glare, he said, "Come on; let's go get you dried off before you catch a cold. Hold tight." He warned just before heading home via Shunshin.

Arriving in the darkened apartment, Naruto set Hanabi down and sent her off to the bathroom to change out of her wet clothes. Shaking his head at the hopping way Hanabi kicked off her sandals, Naruto went to his room and took off his own wet jacket and most of his weapons and pouches. Grabbing one of his shirts, he walked back to the bathroom just in time to hear a thump.

Poking his head in, Naruto snorted at the sight of Hanabi sitting on the floor in her underwear, struggling to tug her soaked shirt over her head. Shaking his head ruefully, Naruto tossed the shirt on the sink, before kneeling down to help the Hyuuga heiress get her shirt off. Once that was done, he picked her up and set her back on her feet, before tossing her training clothes in a hamper and grabbing a towel.

By this point, Hanabi was standing with her arms crossed in attempt to ward off the chill. Raising an eyebrow at her nonchalant attitude, Naruto couldn't help but wonder if it was simply her age, or the fact that she was a part of a clan that could see through clothes, that was responsible. After all, he had been far more uncomfortable taking his clothes off around Yoshino or Kurenai when he was that age. Then again, it wasn't like he was an expert on children in general. Shrugging, Naruto tossed the towel over her head and proceeded to rub her hair dry.

"Ow! Niichan, you're doing it too hard!" Hanabi protested as she flailed around beneath the large towel.

"Well, quit thrashing around so much and it won't hurt. You're just making things worse." Naruto grumbled as he let up on the pressure a little. Of course, as with most young children, Hanabi couldn't make it easy, squirming, and complaining, and on several occasions, attempting to escape out the door.

Snatching her back from her latest attempt with an annoyed sigh, Naruto was finally able to finish drying her off and reach for his shirt, only for his eye to start twitching when she took the momentary distraction to run off yet again.

Feeling his good mood slowly start to evaporate, Naruto took a deep breath and reminded himself that Hanabi was just a child and probably wasn't deliberately trying to annoy him, before taking Hanabi's soaked clothes to the dryer and following after her. Finding her leafing through scrolls in Kurenai's room, Naruto came up behind her and practically shoved the shirt onto her, not even bothering to get her arms in the right places before throwing her over his shoulder and carting her back to the living room. Settling on the couch with a grumble, Naruto set the squirming Hyuuga between his legs, pinning her there with a slight amount of pressure as he began the arduous process of combing out her hair. Luckily, he was bound to pick up some things about girls and their hair after spending years around the two Hyuuga sisters.

'_Amazing…'_ Naruto mused to himself. _'That out of Team Seven, I'm the best with children… then again, it's not hard to be better than those two…kids.' _Naruto allowed himself to snort wryly at the memory of Team Seven's first babysitting mission. The first attempt ended with Sakura screaming at a toddler for throwing mud and "ruining her best dress", thus reducing the frightened girl to tears, and then Sasuke setting the baby brother of said toddler in the tub and telling them to "hurry and get washed up, I'll be back in ten minutes." before walking off to work at cooking the brats' supper.

Naruto supposed it made sense that Kakashi had decided he was the only option left at that point. The Jounin had even shown some personal responsibility for once by _forcefully _disarming Naruto before shoving him into the bathroom with the two children and strict orders to get them bathed, dressed, and in the little girl's case, groomed. _Without _resorting to violence. The man even left a clone around to direct Naruto's actions, and when necessary, made sure to smack Naruto on the back of the head whenever he contemplated drowning the annoying little bastards.

After that disastrous mission, it was more or less unanimously decided that Naruto would handle the children on any babysitting missions they happened to get. Kakashi wanted the missions to go more or less according to plan, Sasuke just plain didn't want to waste his time and energy dealing with the little devils, and Naruto didn't want to have to deal with the kids after Sakura had riled them up. So other than Sakura's hurt pride, no one really had a problem with this setup.

Still lost in thought, Naruto almost missed it when Hanabi asked in a tremulous voice, "Niichan? Do you hate me?"

Blinking in surprise, Naruto glanced down at the little girl sitting between his legs and answered in almost as quiet a voice, "Of course not, Hanabi. Why would you think that?"

Hanabi fidgeted for a few moments, refusing to meet his gaze when she finally answered. "You haven't come to visit since you and Neechan became Genin. Even after you _promised_."

Naruto flinched slightly at the accusatory tone she used for that last point, before sighing and trying to explain himself to the upset girl. "Look, I know I haven't been around as much as I used to, Hanabi. But you have to understand things are really hectic for me right now. I have a lot more responsibilities now that I'm a Genin. I have missions and team training every day, on top of my own training and studies." He said as gently as possible for him.

When Hanabi just huddled inside of the too large shirt she was wearing, Naruto was forced to remind himself that the last time he saw her; Hanabi quite literally had no one outside of himself and Hinata. No friends, no one that Naruto would call family, and no one but Yoshino to give the little girl praise the few times they met. And unlike Hinata, Hanabi didn't get to see him at the end of the day.

Holding in a guilty sigh, Naruto tried again. "Tell you what, Hanabi. I leave for a mission tomorrow, and I'll probably be gone for a week or two." He felt her body tense up against him before continuing. "But when I get back, I'll take you out for a day. We'll do whatever you want, okay?"

Hanabi didn't answer at first, instead tilting her head up to peer up at him through her bangs with a judging look. "Anything I want?" she asked doubtfully, which caused Naruto's gut to clench painfully. He never thought he'd see the day that Hanabi –who at times acted like she thought Naruto was the source of all knowledge in the world- wouldn't trust his word.

Naruto nodded with a flimsy smile, suddenly feeling like a complete ass for tarnishing Hanabi's view of him.

"There's a fireworks festival in a few weeks. Will you go with me?" she asked with that same assessing look.

Naruto grimaced the moment the word festival came out of her mouth. To say he hated festivals wouldn't be very accurate. After all, the word hate was such an inadequate word to describe Naruto's feelings. He _detested_ festivals. Naruto _loathed_ the crowds, _despised _the noise, and the veritable mobs of obnoxious children shrieking and screaming and running back and forth. He couldn't stand the way full grown adults acted like complete buffoons, all for the slightest reason.

No, attending a festival was one of the last things he'd ever want to do. And it must have shown on his face judging by the way Hanabi's own face fell as she looked away from him again.

Wishing he could kick himself for upsetting Hanabi _again_ as well as for what he was about to do, Naruto ruffled her hair with a little less force than usual as he gave the young girl a one armed hug. "You know…" he drawled irritably. "I've never liked going to festivals." Naruto could practically feel Hanabi's spirit being crushed before he continued. "But if you really want to go when I get back, I'll take you. I promise."

As if a switch had been flipped, Hanabi was suddenly all excitement and smiles, followed by an enthusiastic recap of her day.

Smiling slightly, Naruto listened intently for anything out of the ordinary, as he nodded his head at the right parts, occasionally adding some input of his own. All the while he made plans, like how he would have to look into Hanabi's new sensei. The way she described the Chuunin made Naruto feel that the man had been a little _too_ friendly to Hanabi.

He was eventually pulled from his thoughts by the sound of the dryer buzzing. Suddenly aware of the fact that Hanabi had been silent for some time, he glanced down to find the young girl leaning back against his chest in a deep slumber. Confused, he looked out the window and confirmed that it was still early evening, before coming to a conclusion. Hanabi must have been running all over the village for who knows how long, trying to find him and that was before he had her spend a few hours working on an advanced Genin chakra control exercise. In that case, he should probably be surprised she hadn't fallen asleep earlier.

Smirking slightly in fond amusement at Hanabi's antics, Naruto carefully picked her up and proceeded to change her into her now dry clothes before collecting his equipment and jacket. Once he was ready, Naruto scooped up the sleeping Hyuuga and settled her on his right hip, before leaving the apartment.

Despite his usually reclusive nature, Naruto made sure to take well lit and well-populated streets on his way to the Hyuuga compound. Absently wishing he could use his Konohagakure no jutsu on other people as well, Naruto did his best to keep an eye on his surroundings without disturbing Hanabi's sleep.

He made it about halfway before he tensed at the sound of unfamiliar footsteps impacting behind him. Instinctively jumping forward with a chakra powered leap, Naruto awkwardly drew his chakra knife left handed as he twisted to keep Hanabi shielded by his body. When he landed, he held the blade before him defensively, fixing an enraged glare at whoever dared to attack him while he was carrying Hanabi.

He was greeted by a surprised looking Yuugao with her hand raised as if to tap him on the shoulder.

"…Good evening, Naruto-san." Yuugao said cautiously as she raised her hands in a calming gesture. "I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm not trying to harm you."

"Oh, of course not." Naruto spat sarcastically. "I'm sure you had a perfectly benign reason to try to sneak up on me while I was distracted and exposed."

"…Exposed?" Yuugao asked with a raised eyebrow. "Exposed to what?"

Wincing at his slip up, Naruto inhaled deeply, trying to pick up on any other enemies in the area. Unable to determine that by smell alone, he snarled. "Never mind that! Who sent you? What's your objective?"

The young Chuunin gazed at him in surprise before glancing worriedly at Hanabi. When Naruto took another step back, she carefully explained herself. "Hiashi-sama sent me." Naruto jerked in surprise at that before woman continued. "Hanabi-chan apparently left the compound without supervision. Her father wanted me to help find her and bring her back."

Naruto blinked, before realizing that Hanabi _had _indeed been alone when they ran into each other. And Hanabi wasn't even allowed to walk to the Academy and back unattended.

"Niichan?" Hanabi asked sleepily as she pulled her face away from his shoulder and glanced around drowsily. Her eyes snapped open as she saw Naruto pointing his knife at Yuugao. "Niichan!" She yelled indignantly, causing Naruto to wince due to his sensitive ears. "Don't be mean to Yuugao-chan!"

"Yuugao-chan?" Naruto blinked. "Since when did you call her that?" Even Naruto was surprised by how jealous he sounded.

"Uh-huh!" Hanabi chirped happily, seemingly unaware. "Yuugao-chan's really nice, and a lot of fun too! She buys me snacks sometimes, and she's teaching me how to use a sword! Isn't that cool, Niichan?!"

"A kodachi, actually." Yuugao pointed out helpfully. "And I'm glad I found you, Hanabi-chan. Your father is worried about you."

Hanabi winced, before laughing sheepishly and squirming free of his grip and then running over to Yuugao. She paused halfway, then turned and ran back to Naruto and held her arms open expectantly.

Still somewhat disgruntled at Hanabi's apparently close relationship with the Chuunin, Naruto nonetheless sheathed his knife and knelt down to give the young Hyuuga a hug.

"Don't worry, Niichan." Hanabi whispered in his ear. "I still like you best." Then she kissed him on the cheek and ran back to Yuugao, shouting over her shoulder, "Don't forget your promise!"

Naruto stood there with a tiny smile as Hanabi dragged Yuugao off in the direction of the Hyuuga compound, before he frowned suspiciously and took to the rooftops, using his Konohagakure no jutsu to follow them. _'Better safe than sorry.' _He thought to himself as he studied Yuugao along the way. His recent nightmares only drove home the fact that the people he cared about were in danger because of him, and there was no way in hell he'd let any harm come to Hanabi and Hinata. Regardless of the outcome, he was determined that he would keep the Hyuuga sisters from getting caught up in his private war with the Old Man.

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**Translations:**

Niichan=Big brother

Kanashibari=Temporary Paralysis

Suimen Hokou no Waza=Water Walking Exercise

Did I miss any?

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**AN: **

And that is chapter nineteen. Sorry it took so long, but between deployment, coming home, struggling to readjust and reconnect with family, going back to college _way_ too soon, when I was _not _prepared to be around a bunch of normal college students, graduating, work, and job hunting...Well, it took me awhile to get the time or the motivation to work on fanfiction again. Anyway, couple of things about this chapter. One, the bath scene was influenced/inspired by a similar scene in Scorpion's Disciple by Nobody102. It's a great story that I read while in Afghanistan, at the same time that I was first working on this chapter. Second, I had originally intended to spend more time on Naruto's reactions to D ranks, but really, I pretty much summed it up when I wrote about Naruto not minding them. Third, I suppose this _could _be considered a filler chapter, but it wasn't _intended _to be so much as an intro to the Wave arc.

Finally, I've been considering changing the name of this story to something...else. So far, the only idea that I've liked has been Naruto: Shadows of the Mind, but I'm not sure. What I am sure about is that with every review I get asking what Naruto is a Specialist in, I feel like I should just change it to something...else. So, if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Also, if anyone cares, I've had a few things pointed out to me in the first few chapters that were either inconsistent, or came across vastly different than I had intended. And since I've got the next 80,000 words already sent out for betaing, I'm taking this opportunity to do some revising in between trying to get the next chapters of Reckoning and even Vaccum out. Anyway, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	21. Chapter 20

**Words-168455, Chapters-21, Reviews-754, Hits-436685, C2s-130, Favs-1373, Alerts-1403**

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**AN:** Sorry, I really had intended to update much sooner than this, but between the holidays and work I just couldn't seem to find the time to get anything set up. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on, then left untouched for months before I finally got back to working on it again. As it still hasn't been proofread yet, so there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know.

Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 20 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**Chapter Twenty**

Kurenai hummed contentedly as she chopped some vegetables to go with supper, listening in with half an ear to Naruto's mumbling and grumbling in the other room. He'd been that way since she got home, scribbling on a small scroll and mumbling to himself, before scratching out whatever he had written previously, then moving further down the scroll and starting over.

"The matrix needs…large enough…indefinitely... easily noticed…but the containment can't…overpower the buffers…"

Shaking her head at her son's mumblings, Kurenai knew she'd never be able to piece together what he was up to with such vague mutterings. _'I probably wouldn't understand even if I heard every word.' _She admitted ruefully as she dumped the vegetables into the pot of stew on the stove. Kurenai would be the first to admit that her proficiency with Fuuinjutsu was rather limited compared to people like Genma, or Kakashi. Even Naruto far surpassed her when it came to that.

Oh, Kurenai could recognize and even create the most common of seals, like storage seals and exploding tags, but that was more about being able to copy them. She couldn't actually _understand_ how they worked, let alone try to explain it to someone else.

Taking a sip of the stew, she nodded thoughtfully to herself before adding a few spices and stirring it some more. Nodding to herself, she scooped up two bowls and set them on the table before calling out, "Naru-chan, dinner is ready."

Kurenai shook her head in exasperation when Naruto tensed up and practically _threw _himself onto his scroll to keep anyone from seeing his work. As if he honestly thought she was about to swoop in and steal it from him if he didn't bodily defend it from her. That was something she wished he _hadn't_ picked up. Naruto was almost ridiculously selfish and secretive about _any_ of his less known seals. Kurenai had been concerned about it at first, enough so that she asked Genma –as the only male role model in Naruto's life, not to mention his teacher in Fuuinjutsu- about it. Ironically enough, watching the two argue over trading seals with each other –most of Naruto's new seals being recreated or adapted versions of the seals the Sandaime had placed around his apartment- while simultaneously accusing each other of trying to cheat the other and throwing insults, was enough to convince her that Naruto's attitude was common among seal users.

"Naru-chan, I'm not going to try to steal whatever you're working on." Kurenai sighed in annoyance. "You know I couldn't even if I wanted to. Now get in here before your food gets cold."

Flinching slightly at her scolding tone, Naruto quickly rolled up his scroll and sheepishly made his way to the table.

Smiling, Kurenai sat across from him and –after subtly checking Naruto for any paranoia regarding his food, happily noting there was none- dug into her own meal with a pleased smile. It never failed to put her at ease to see that Naruto trusted her, ever since the first day he ate a meal she'd prepared for him without his direct supervision.

"So, are you excited about your first C rank?" Kurenai asked curiously between bites. After all, a Genin's first C rank mission was a milestone in every shinobi career.

"Eh, not really." Naruto grumbled as he took a sip of water.

"Oh?" Kurenai asked in surprise. "Why's that?"

Most Genin were ecstatic about their first C rank missions, and while Naruto hadn't complained about his D ranks as much as she had expected, she had noticed how tense and restless he had been getting lately.

Naruto just shrugged as he finished off his first bowl and stood up to get seconds. "All we're doing is babysitting an old drunk on his way home. I don't even see why he even needs us in the first place."

Kurenai watched bemusedly as the blond returned to his seat. It was always... interesting to see how Anko was rubbing off on Naruto. Not always _tolerable_, but amusing nonetheless. And the way Naruto said "babysitting" reeked of Anko's…questionable…influence. "I see. Well, we don't always like the missions we get. But I'm sure you'll see something interesting on your first trip out of the village. In fact, why don't you get out your gear after supper and I'll check to make sure you have everything you need."

"Come on, Kurenai." Naruto drawled in exasperation. "I don't need to be babied."

"Is that so?" she asked in a faux airy tone. "Well, I thought I might be able to give you some advice on Genjutsu before you leave as well, but since you don't need to be babied, I guess I won't bother."

She barely suppressed her giggles at the way Naruto perked up excitedly, before trying to cover it up with nonchalance. "Well, I suppose you can check on my things if it makes you feel better." Naruto sighed as if he was being unbelievably accommodating.

"Thank you for letting me put my mind at ease." Kurenai responded with a smile as she watched Naruto hurriedly chow down his food, before moving quickly to retrieve his various tool and weapons pouches.

Shaking her head ruefully, Kurenai calmly finished her own meal and gathered the dishes, placing them in the sink before following after.

When she walked into the room, she was surprised as always when she saw Naruto's extensive amount of equipment. Kunai, shuriken, senbon, makibishi, ninja wire, two windmill shuriken- which Kurenai was relatively sure Naruto didn't have the last time she'd checked- and the knife that Asuma had given him were spread out on the floor. Kurenai smiled happily at that. She was glad that the two most important men in her life were no longer fighting as often as they had early on in her relationship with Asuma. _'Now if only Naruto would stop letting Anko drag him into her "pranks" on Asuma.' _She thought wistfully as she ran a critical eye over the weapons, checking their sharpness and balance.

Satisfied at the condition of the weapons, Kurenai turned her attention to his other pouches. His waist pack was filled with an impressive and varied amount of medical supplies. _'Blood pills, chakra pills, painkillers, bandages, some wider use antidotes, surgical scissors, needle and thread…I know Medic nin who don't carry this much…stuff.' _Kurenai thought ruefully. With some effort, she even kept herself from worrying too much about _how_ Naruto got a hold of it all. Though she couldn't help but wonder if that made her a bad mother or not. After all, several of Naruto's medical supplies weren't available for just anyone. Particularly the painkillers, blood pills, and chakra pills, which one could only get through being issued either by the select groups that controlled them, such as the hospital or the quartermasters.

And Kurenai knew full well that Naruto didn't count any medic-nin among his friends, and he lacked both the rank and the authority to request them from the proper channels. Which heavily implied that he had…_acquired_ them himself somehow, much to Kurenai's discomfort. _'Whoever said ignorance is bliss _obviously_ never had children.'_ Kurenai thought ruefully as she helped Naruto pack everything away again, taking note and approving of the way Naruto made sure everything had its place among his pouches and holsters and was easily accessible.

When they finished, Naruto tried and failed to act nonchalant as he asked, "So, are you finally going to teach me the Magen: Jubaku Satsu? You keep saying you'll teach me eventually."

Kurenai smiled fondly, always pleased that her son had the same fascination and love of Genjutsu as she did –even if he'd already had that interest before they'd met. "And I will teach it to you, when you're ready to learn it. For now though, you'll have to settle for the Mizu Kouzui no Jutsu."

Naruto pouted in a way that Kurenai found utterly adorable –even if he would deny pouting in the first place- as he let out a groan of disappointment. "You _always_ say that…" he muttered before frowning as he struggled to translate the Old Tongue. "The…Water Flood Technique? That doesn't exactly sound like a Genjutsu."

"Neither does Konohagakure no Jutsu." Kurenai quipped with a smile before explaining. "The Mizu Kouzui no Jutsu is a C rank Genjutsu, which makes a large bubble of solid water appear around the target's head, making them feel like it's impossible to breathe without drowning. Needless to say, the sensation of drowning is a terrifying one, and may cause them to panic as they try to remove the water from their face, to no avail."

"And even if they don't panic, they can only hold their breath for so long before passing out anyway, especially in a battle." Naruto completed for her, the same look of intense focus on his face as whenever he was studying something that interested him. Kurenai smiled fondly as he tilted his head to the side in thought. "Do you need to be around a body of water to make it work?"

"No, you can use it even in the harshest of deserts and it will simply appear as if the water is being pulled from the air." Kurenai answered with a tinge of pride at Naruto's intuitiveness. "That being said, this jutsu is far more effective if you happen to be around a body of water, where the water appears to jump up around the targets face instead of just appearing out of the surrounding air."

Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement as he said, "Which makes it seem like an actual Ninjutsu rather than a Genjutsu, keeping them from just dispelling it."

"Exactly, and since you're going to Nami no Kuni, I thought this would be an appropriate present for your first C rank mission." Kurenai replied happily, ignoring Naruto's muttering about how he'd still have preferred the Jubaku Satsu as she brought her hands together. "Now, watch carefully while I go through the hand seals…"

Kurenai watched with a critical eye as Naruto carefully went through each individual hand seal one at a time, stopping him several times to correct even the slightest of imperfections in his seal work as he slowly increased the speed of his transitions. After all, Genjutsu was a demanding art, one that required precision and a great deal of chakra control. And considering how easy it was to unintentionally cause severe damage to the mind with even the slightest of mistakes, Genjutsu was not an art that tolerated sloppiness.

Finally determining him ready after watching him practice for over an hour –even blurring through the hand seals perfectly nearly a dozen times in a row- Kurenai stood from the couch and retrieved her hitae-ate and placed herself in front of him. "Remember, if you see me drop my hitae-ate-" she began as she held it out in front of him only for Naruto to automatically complete her sentence for her.

"Stop what I'm doing immediately and dispel whatever I've already done." Naruto said seriously as he clenched his teeth, his distress at the idea of using her as a test subject as obvious as ever.

Smiling, Kurenai gave him an encouraging nod as he stood before her and braced herself for the oncoming illusion while simultaneously forcing her usual level of resistance against Genjutsu down to a level Naruto would be able to overcome without too much difficulty. Once she was sure he could use the Genjutsu, then she could allow him to try to overcome her resistance.

Taking a steadying breath, Naruto raced through the hand seals once again, this time completing the technique and launching it at her. Kurenai couldn't resist grinning proudly as water seemed to condense out of the air to wrap around her head, her lungs instinctively seizing up to prevent the escape of air as she felt the water on her skin. He'd even remembered other details, like making her hair feel like it was not only soaking wet, but also as if it were floating weightlessly around her head.

Dispelling the Genjutsu, Kurenai beamed at Naruto as he let out a relieved sigh, though she knew her son was more likely thankful that he hadn't accidentally harmed her rather than that he'd succeeded in using the technique. Kurenai didn't mind, as she found Naruto's protective streak rather endearing, and knew it was based on his attachment to her rather than any slight to her skills. Naruto was actually quite adamant that Kurenai was among the strongest shinobi in Konoha, and while she knew better, Kurenai took it as the sign of complete faith in her that it was.

"Good job, Naru-chan!" Kurenai congratulated as she kept her hands from instinctively fixing her unharmed hair. Producing the scroll that the technique was written on, Kurenai handed it to him. "Study this in your free time to help improve your control of the technique, and when you come home, you can try to use it against me when I'm actively resisting."

Naruto winced at her mentioning of further testing against her, but nodded nonetheless as he unrolled the scroll to glance over it.

Kurenai waited patiently for him to finish reading it, wondering if he'd have questions for her to clarify, or ideas to make the technique his own as he had done with her Hana Yakuotoshi. She was far from disappointed when Naruto looked up from the scroll to ask, "Would it be possible to make it seem like saltwater when I'm near the ocean? You now, so their eyes feel like they're burning as well?"

"It won't destabilize the technique if that's what you mean. Though you'll have to figure out how to do it yourself, since I've never considered it." Kurenai answered truthfully as she stepped forward to embrace him. In all honestly Kurenai had never thought of trying that before, and if Naruto could figure it out, she'd have to ask him to share it with her. After all, if there was one thing she loved about teaching Naruto Genjutsu -besides how quickly he caught on and the insightful questions he rarely failed to have- it was the way he thought up interesting and downright ingenious ways to improve or otherwise alter the Genjutsu he learned.

That was actually the main difference between them, despite both being considered natural prodigies in the art by many. Whereas Kurenai would learn the Genjutsu Konoha already possessed as well as creating her own from scratch, Naruto would learn the Genjutsu he could get his hands on, and then think up ways to improve them or tailor them so that there were variations that could be used in numerous situations.

And Kurenai honestly wasn't sure if she could possibly be prouder of her Naru-chan.

As Kurenai wrapped her son up in a tight hug, she was startled to find herself all but overwhelmed by a wave of emotions. She suddenly found herself full of worry and trepidation at the thought of Naruto leaving the village for an extended amount of time, without her around to look after him.

Burying her face in Naruto's collar bone, Kurenai was amazed to find herself with watery eyes and shuddering breath. _'What's wrong with me?'_ she wondered as Naruto extracted himself from her arms to look down at her worryingly. _'When did my little Naru-chan get so big?' _Kurenai thought nostalgically-he'd shot up in height these last few months, already three or four inches taller than her and showing no signs of stopping. Trying to blink away her tears she reached up to run her fingers through his spiky hair. It was a sign of how worried Naruto was about her that he allowed her to do so without his usual fuss.

It occurred to Kurenai –as her eyes darted all over Naruto's form like it was the last she'd ever see him- that she was acting exactly like her own mother had when _she_ was getting ready to leave the village on her own first C rank. Kurenai remembered being annoyed and chastising her mother for being so "overdramatic" and to stop treating her like a child. Even worse, her _team_ had stumbled across the scene, mortifying her for _weeks!_ So the irony wasn't lost on Kurenai that she was absolutely _terrified_ now that it was her turn to let _her_ baby head off into the unknown.

_'I guess I know how mom felt now.'_ Kurenai thought wryly.

* * *

Deep within the deserted Uchiha compound, a solitary light illuminated a single room within the otherwise darkened district. In his room, Sasuke was carefully doctoring a set of kunai, examining each one with a discerning eye and judging them with a standard that perfectionists could call critical. This was a common practice of his, ever since Naruto had somehow spotted a fracture the size of a hair on one of his blades during a spar at the academy. That shouldn't have been possible, but the scarred boy had done just that-no doubt thanks to those strange slit eyes of his-right before hitting the kunai with that strange blade of his in precisely the way necessary to break Sasuke's kunai in half! Naturally, it never occurred to Sasuke that Naruto might have pulled the whole thing off completely by accident. Since then, Sasuke had periodically gone over his kunai for even the slightest imperfection. After all, if _Naruto_ could pull off something like that, then surely _Itachi_ could as well.

Any weapon that had even the slightest chance of failing was removed from his stack of kunai, and added to his trap supplies. Stifling a yawn, he picked up the last one and examined it carefully before replacing the handle entirely. Then he began dragging the dulled edges of the blade along a sharpening stone, honing them to razors. After all this, he picked up a cloth and polished his fingerprints off the shiny metal. He paused when the polishing showed him a tiny fracture in the blade and sighed, putting it on the 'trap' pile.

Observing the tiny pile of kunai that he had deemed to be worthy of use in throwing and hand to hand combat, he yawned once more, musing that he'd need to buy some more. Again. He'd reduced his supply down to a measly eighteen kunai this time. _'It's a good thing I'm so good with traps.'_ Sasuke snorted to himself. _'Otherwise I'd never be able to justify the sheer cost and waste I spend on kunai alone.' _Granted, as the sole heir to the entire Uchiha clan-which included all of their financial assets- he was absolutely _loaded_, but that was no excuse for frivolous spending.

Carefully repacking his kunai pouch, Sasuke glanced over at his backpack, rechecking his mental list to make sure he had everything packed. Tomorrow was the start of the next big hurdle in his quest for justice, and he would allow nothing to go wrong. If he was lucky, maybe they'd run into some bandits while escorting Tazuna, and Kakashi would allow Naruto and him to deal with them so he could test his progress.

It might be somewhat cold to consider ending the lives of men as a form of training, but Sasuke knew it was important that he condition himself to such acts. For the sake of his own survival, among other things. _'Heh, I just hope Naruto doesn't try to hog all the fighting.' _Sasuke thought with a smirk.

His odd form of "competition" with Naruto-if it could still be called that-had been a sort of driving force since the two had first met. And although Sasuke's motivations had changed, he still considered Naruto to have been a key part of his training and improvement since he'd taken on his self-imposed quest for justice.

The academy may have given him the basic foundation he needed, and he had all the motivation necessary thanks to Itachi, but it was Naruto who pushed Sasuke to new heights. All of his other classmates presented little challenge to Sasuke, and none of them could ever get close to him anymore. But Naruto on the other hand, had been above him since the moment they first met, and no matter how much Sasuke trained, he couldn't beat Naruto. And that was ok.

The fact of the matter was, Naruto was the only person Sasuke knew who trained himself as hard and as single-mindedly as he himself did. And Sasuke learned so much from fighting the older boy, to the point that he considered Naruto to be a better teacher than the Academy instructors-who always held back against the students. In fact, Sasuke would rate himself and Naruto to already be low Chuunin level if not higher, and now that Kakashi-sensei was finally training them seriously, their respective skills would only increase.

As he finally lay down on his bed, Sasuke was grateful that when he closed his eyes this time, he didn't find himself witnessing the Massacre once again. It happened far more often than he'd like to admit, but Sasuke tried not to worry over it too much. After all, you don' just _forget_ something like that, no matter how much time had passed. No, it was always there, hovering just out of sight and waiting for Sasuke to relax just a little too much, so he could feel the sting of betrayal and the pain of his loss all over again.

Sighing, Sasuke dearly hoped that once Itachi had been brought to justice and the ghosts of his clan finally laid to rest, then he himself could finally stop all of the planning and scheming he'd done over the years. It was exhausting to say the least, and distracted him from his more immediate concerns far too often.

As he finally slipped away into a light sleep, Sasuke's final thoughts were of how much easier finding Itachi could be if he had control of the Anbu and Oinin. _'Maybe I should become the next Hogake? After all, if a couple of _Senju_ could do it, how hard could it be?'_

* * *

_'Hmm, this dress is nice...but this one accents my figure better.'_ Pleased with her choice Sakura carefully packed the dress in her ruck sack so as to avoid wrinkling it. "Oh, this is so exciting!" Sakura suddenly squealed to herself.

Soon, she'd be on a romantic trip with Sasuke, off to see new and exciting lands, just the two of them. Every morning, she'd wake Sasuke with a handmade breakfast, and he'd praise her cooking, before giving her one of his charming smiles. Then they'd spend the day leisurely walking through the forests, just talking about their lives and dreams, and then, once they reached Nami no Kuni they'd sit together on a romantic beach and watch a beautiful sunset. After all, with a name like the "Land of Waves", there were bound to be some good beaches, right?

Then, once they got home, Sasuke would finally confess his feelings for her, and she could introduce him to her parents, and then they could start dating, and…!

Giggling girlishly, Sakura finished packing with a wistful sigh, before frowning distastefully. _'If only we didn't have to take Kakashi-sensei, Tazuna-san, and _him_ with us.' _Sakura had to admit, with those three coming along, the odds of her and Sasuke having any alone time was almost nonexistent.

And considering how little progress she was making towards winning Sasuke's love here in the village –and getting on the same team as him was supposed to make things _easier_- Sakura had some serious doubts about this mission making any difference. And considering how much Sakura believed in the power of love, that was saying something!

Sighing again, Sakura checked over her bag one last time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, and then dropped down to the floor to begin her evening exercises. She wasn't any fonder of the various exercises she'd come up with to get the most out of each workout, but she wasn't blind either.

Sakura knew full well from the recent training Kakashi-sensei had given Team Seven that she wasn't anywhere _near_ Sasuke and Naruto's level. And while Sakura _did_ find the idea of Sasuke coming to her rescue romantic, she found the idea of being a burden on him far less attractive. The fact that Sakura seriously doubted _Naruto_ would ever come to her rescue –not to mention the less than generous opinion he had of her, and made sure she knew it- made Sakura leery of being the weak link to Team Seven.

Huffing and puffing as she reached the end of her routine, Sakura half-heartedly wished that Sasuke would hurry up and marry her so she could retire and not have to worry about things like this anymore. Such thoughts might be shallow, but Sakura _really_ wasn't looking forward to the sheer amount of work she had ahead of her if she wanted to catch up to her teammates. Even just these simple exercises for strengthening the basic muscle groups and improving her endurance were draining.

As she pulled herself up with a groan, Sakura headed off for a nice long soak before bed, not for the first time wishing she'd worked a little harder in the Academy. "Hindsight is such a _bitch_…" she grumbled to herself irritably.

* * *

Scanning the area around the gate with an almost absentminded focus, Naruto calmly sipped at a cup of red bean soup that he'd swiped from Anko earlier. Of course, Anko being Anko, he didn't escape without several accusations of being "nervous" as a result of leaving the house so early for the mission. That she had also made mention of the bath incident around Kurenai had been unbearably mortifying as well. The lecture about getting into baths with older, naked women and how he was supposedly _much _too young for anything even remotely like laying hands on older naked women –his protests that he was just trying to get a better look at her seal falling on deaf ears- was even worse, particularly with Anko grinning at him from behind Kurenai's back.

Naruto still couldn't decide which was worse about that morning, Anko thinking he was nervous, or Kurenai thinking he was excited. Of course, it's not like he could tell the two women the _real _reason he had decided to come early.

Well, knowing her as well as he did, Anko would probably approve. Hell, she'd probably insist on coming along to help him out, or even to critique his performance. Of course, it was also possible she'd want to just ruin his efforts just for laughs. Anko could be hard to predict at the best of times.

Kurenai on the other hand, was always such stickler about what she called "polite behavior". Particularly among "teammates", and if she had any idea what Naruto intended, she'd either scold him and give another one of her annoying lectures, or even worse, insist on seeing him off. And that would be beyond embarrassing.

Downing the last of his soup, Naruto's eyes suddenly darted up to one of the streets that led into the square before the great gates of Konoha. More specifically, the head of pink hair that was all but skipping towards him. Well, he wouldn't go so far as to say _towards _him, since he rather doubted Sakura had the kind of awareness of her surroundings or attention to detail necessary to spot him.

Glancing around for any potential witnesses or meddlers, Naruto absentmindedly tucked his empty cup into his small backpack and carefully made his way to intercept the younger girl. He briefly thought about using his Konohagakure no Jutsu for the added shock value –something that always worked well on that mangy mutt- but decided he didn't really need the extra theatrics to deal with this little girl.

Moving swiftly through the shadows Naruto took a position on the edge of a dark, isolated alley, waiting patiently for his target to get close enough. Taking one last glance around, Naruto moved quickly, snatching Sakura off the streets and into the alley before she could do more than squeak.

Mentally shaking his head at the girl's actions, Naruto pushed her against the alley wall and took a step back to give her a chance to recognize him. Staring down at the girl, Naruto watched as the shock and fear faded away to be replaced by angry disdain.

"Oh, it's _you._" Sakura growled lowly. "What do you think you're doing? Are you trying to make me late?"

Shrugging off Sakura's rather weak killer intent, Naruto stepped back towards her, fixing her with a stern look. "I think we need to make sure we understand each other before leaving for the mission. And I decided we can be more…honest… with one another, without the others around."

Sakura frowned and glanced around, seeming to take notice of her surroundings for the first time. "There's nothing to understand!" Sakura said haughtily. "Especially with someone like _you_."

Naruto scowled as she tried to slide away from him before slamming his fists into the walls on either side of her, blocking her attempts to leave. Next he stepped as close to her as he could without actually touching her, putting his height to good use to loom over the girl and forcing her to look almost straight up in order to stare him in the face. "I didn't ask for your _opinion_ on the matter." Naruto said coldly as the younger girl tried to shrink back from him. "This isn't up for debate. I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen, understand?"

Sakura winced at the brief burst of killer intent Naruto sent at her, before nodding hesitantly.

"I don't know why Kakashi puts up with your childish stupidity, but this mission is at least semi-serious." Naruto continued lowly. "So it had better stop here. Once we're beyond that gate, our only backup will be each other. Neither Sasuke nor I can afford to baby you, and I'm not going to become a name on a monument because of you. I will leave you lying in a ditch if I have to, in order to come back alive with a completed mission." Naruto paused to allow his threat to sink in before continuing. "It's time for you to grow the fuck up, and face reality. Do you understand what I'm getting at?"

Sakura stared up at him with wide, fearful eyes before whimpering out a faint, "Ye-yes."

Studying her intently, Naruto decided that that was probably all he'd be able to get away with right now, so he nodded and stepped away, heading back towards the street.

* * *

Sakura shuddered slightly at the cold blue eyes that glared down at her without pity, silently promising pain or worse to any failure on her part. When she had first realized it was _Naruto_ who had pulled her into the alleyway, she had been annoyed and angry. Especially when he had started to lecture her and imply that she wasn't a good ninja. Of course, that all changed when she realized that she was _all alone_ with Naruto in a dark, out of sight alley. An angry and _intimidating_ Naruto.

After that, it was all she could do to keep from trembling as those icy eyes bored into hers. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the older boy nodded and stepped away, allowing Sakura to release a breath she didn't even know she was holding until that moment.

She nervously watched him walk away, a part of her terrified that the older boy would suddenly change his mind and decide to make good on his threat.

Then the moment passed and her righteous indignation pride welled up inside of her_. 'Who does he think he is?! We're the top kunoichi of our year! Chaa!' _

"Hey, Naruto!" Now growling angrily herself, Sakura stalked towards the older boy who had turned to face her with a slightly curious look on his face. "Let's get one thing straight, Mr. Scarface!" Sakura spat the boy's hated nickname as she jabbed her finger angrily into his chest. "I don't care what you think, but I'm not some kind of helpless child!"

Sakura was pleased at the look of surprise evident on the older boy's face at her actions and felt a swell of pride at being able to draw such an obvious reaction from the normally reserved Uzumaki. Now more confident, Sakura pressed on. "Shut up, I'm still talking!" she cut off Naruto before he could say anything. "And another thing, where do you get off saying _I'm_ a liability when _I_ had higher grades than even you? You might be the Rookie of the Year, but _I'm _the Top Kunoichi. So you better not forget it again, or I'll _kick your ass!_"

Nodding decisively, Sakura stepped around the older boy and proudly walked away, her head held high. _'That'll show him! Chaa!'_

* * *

Naruto stared after the retreating girl in startled bemusement. A part of him wanted to chase the girl down and shake some of the arrogance out of her, but he held himself back with some effort.

He was honestly surprised at the girl's outburst, as she normally kept up a polite-if somewhat uncomfortable- facade around him. In fact, Naruto felt a slight satisfaction that Sakura had finally shown some backbone and spirit_. 'Now if only she had some actual skill to back it up...' _Sighing in annoyance, Naruto quickly stilled his expression and returned to the gate, where a smug Sakura promptly turned her nose up at him with a huff.

Before Naruto could try to remind her of just who she was dealing with, he was hit by the powerful scent of sake. Turning around, Naruto saw Sasuke calmly walking towards them, with an obviously hung-over Tazuna being herded by Kakashi behind him.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged nods, before wincing in tandem when Sakura suddenly cried out an exuberant greeting of "Good morning, Sasuke-kun!"

"Loud mouth brat." Tazuna growled as he held his head in pain. Naruto actually felt sympathetic for the old geezer for a moment, his own ears still ringing slightly.

"Well, it looks like we're all here." Kakashi cheerfully stated from behind his book. "Did you all pack appropriately?" Somehow seeing their nods without looking up from his book, Kakashi continued. "Well, if Tazuna-san is ready, how about we head out?"

Once again, without even looking, Kakashi took in Tazuna's grunted acceptance, before closing his book with a thud that seemed to cut through the air and bring a sense of seriousness to the group. "Let's go." Kakashi ordered, suddenly seeming every inch of the legendary Jounin he was supposed to be as he strode purposefully out the gate, Team Seven and Tazuna following behind.

Naruto was shocked at the feeling of awe and respect he suddenly felt for his usually irritating sensei. Who would have thought that the lazy, porn addicted Kakashi-sensei was actually capable of such a force of presence? Of course, no sooner did Naruto think that then Kakashi stuck his hands in his pockets, adopted a slouch that would have had Yoshino seething, and abandoned the graceful walk of a predator for the lazy shuffle of a slacker.

Glancing over at his teammates, Naruto wasn't surprised to find their expressions of irritated annoyance mirrored his own as they sighed as one at the antics of their Jounin-sensei.

* * *

It didn't take long for the novelty of being outside the village to wear off on Team Seven, and the three quickly turned their attention elsewhere in their own manner. Sakura chose to walk near Kakashi and Tazuna, peppering the two with curious questions about Nami no Kuni and ninja, drawing a lecture from Kakashi about the Five Great Shinobi Nations and their respective Kage.

Sasuke chose to take a position on the right of the group, far enough away to avoid getting caught in any traps or attacks, but close enough to come to their aid or to protect their client as needed. There, he scanned the road and the surrounding forest with a casual suspicion, belying the kunai he held firmly in his pocket.

Naruto himself chose to walk a ways ahead of the group, unwilling to trust the important job of point man to either Sasuke or Sakura, while Kakashi calmly refused the job. Cautiously scanning the road and surrounding undergrowth, Naruto paused at random moments to glance behind him and to take discreet sniffs of the air before pressing on. Of course, it didn't help that he was downwind of the rest of the group, so whatever he might have picked up by scent was blocked out by the combined smell of old blood, metal, dogs, oil, shampoo, sake, and nature in general.

Luckily for him, his sense of smell wasn't his only tool. Just as a puddle in the road came into view, Naruto's sixth sense started screaming, causing him to tense in place inadvertently, tipping off not only Sasuke, but likely their watchers as well. Cursing his instinctive reaction, Naruto leaped forward, feeling more than seeing Sasuke following close behind. He quickly sent a trio of pre-prepared explosive tagged kunai into three random directions hoping to flush out whoever was watching them. One of which happened to land by the puddle in the middle of the road.

Moments before the tags could go off, Sakura and Tazuna's shocked cries were cut short as two men in breathing masks and horned hitae-ate seemingly rose up out of the puddle before dodging to the sides to avoid the explosion. Naruto blinked at the sight of some kind of chain stretching between the two men, but he shook it off when one of the men didn't quite escape the blast radius. The energy of the blast forcefully pushed the man with the single horn and ratty poncho off his feet, nearly dragging the second man into the blast were it not for the sudden clang as the chain disconnected from the first man's gauntlet, allowing the man with two horns to stumble to a halt.

Drawing a kunai in each hand, Naruto hurled himself at the still recovering "two horns" determined to end the fight quickly. Closing the gap between them, Naruto swiped at the Kiri nin's chest with his right hand kunai. When the man predictably parried with the clawed gauntlet on his left arm, Naruto used the distraction of their two arms to step in with his left hand kunai, looking to gut the man before he could recover.

The Kiri nin avoided the strike by hopping back a few steps, before making a strange wind up motion with his clawed arm.

Not wanting to give the man any time to do…whatever the hell it was he was trying to do, Naruto dashed forward, hoping to keep the pressure up and try to finish this before the other Kiri nin could join in. Then the man damn near took Naruto's head off when he completed the motion of his arm and flicked the chain still attached to his gauntlet at Naruto.

Naruto dropped to his knees just in time avoid the chain –which looked more like a bunch of shuriken welded together now that Naruto got a closer look- as it soared over his head. As he slid across the ground, Naruto threw himself into a forward roll, throwing one kunai at the Kiri nin to buy himself some time, drawing a brace of shuriken to replace it.

The Kiri nin recovered faster than Naruto thought possible, already swinging that chain of his down at Naruto by the time he'd gotten back to his feet. This time Naruto was able to side step it, throwing his shuriken before darting in once again.

* * *

It took all of Kakashi's considerable control to keep his usual lackadaisical expression in place, when all he really wanted to do was sigh in frustration.

When he'd spotted the obvious ambush, _–'A puddle in the road in _this_ weather? It hasn't rained in weeks, could they be more obvious?'_- Kakashi knew that there were any number of possible objectives for the hidden ninja. Granted, they were probably after Team Seven's client, but Kakashi had been a shinobi for far too long to discard the other, slightly more paranoid possibilities out of hand. The two assassins could have been after the bounty on his head, or they could have been targeting the "last" Uchiha. Or maybe the truth behind Naruto's identity had somehow leaked out and they were targeting the Yondaime's Legacy. It was even possible that they were scouts for an invasion force targeting Konoha.

_'Well, they probably _are _just targeting Tazuna…'_ Kakashi had mused to himself as he came up with a plan to test both his theory, and his Genin in one go. After all, the assassins would most likely target him first, if for no other reason than to remove the biggest threat. So he'd just use a quick Kawarimi, see how his team reacted under pressure, and find out who the assassins were after at the same time. Besides, he could always step in if things looked bad for his cute little Genin.

Unfortunately, Naruto seemed to have discovered the attackers' presence as well, and made the very amateurish mistake of noticeably tensing up. Then, the blonde Uzumaki completely ruined his plan by attacking first, with explosive tags no less. Though he was curious as to why Naruto only threw one of the three kunai at the puddle. Surely the blond knew that's where the assassins were?

Kakashi wasn't sure if he should be disappointed or pleased that the two assassins –who revealed themselves thanks to Naruto's attack, allowing Kakashi to identify them as the Oni Kyodai of Kirigakure- managed to escape Naruto's attack more or less unscathed. On the one hand, it would let him observe his students a little longer, and may even give Kakashi a clue as to their target. On the other hand, the Demon Brothers possessed years of experience and were well known for their vicious attitude of fighting to the death, as well as their exceptional teamwork tactics. Naruto and Sasuke on the other hand, while talented, weren't exactly team players themselves.

Although, it didn't escape Kakashi's notice how quickly and easily Sasuke picked up on Naruto's body language, and how smoothly and effortlessly the two worked together to separate and engage their foes.

In fact, Kakashi was quite pleased with how the two were handling the fight thus far. Naruto was currently facing off against the brother with two horns, who was managing to keep the blonde at bay by using his chain like a whip, forcing Naruto to keep his distance. Kakashi watched carefully as Naruto dodged the chain while simultaneously trying to pin down his attacker with shuriken and kunai, almost forcing the Kiri Chuunin into stepping on some makibishi Naruto discreetly spread across the ground. Unfortunately, the Demon Brother wasn't too bad at dodging either, keeping the two in a bit of a stalemate. _'I really should consider teaching him some medium or long range Ninjutsu.'_ Kakashi thought idly while glancing over at Sasuke's fight.

Sasuke was doing much better, obviously surprising the poncho wearing brother with his quick reflexes and getting in multiple shots to the man's face and chest before he adapted, the two quickly falling into a routine of attack and counter attack.

He was more disappointed in Sakura, who was all but frozen as she stared wide-eyed at the fight. Although she _had_ acted properly by moving to protect their client, standing between Tazuna and the battle with a kunai held in a reverse grip, she was so… awestruck -or perhaps shocked- by the sudden battle that she likely wouldn't be able to respond properly if attacked. It happened with some frequency among rookie Genin, but it was still disappointing.

Turning his attention back to the fight, Kakashi winced as Naruto willingly allowed the shuriken chain to wrap around his forearm, tearing into his jacket and possibly the flesh beneath it. Then Naruto gave a feral grin as he pulled hard on the chain, dragging the Demon Brother towards him even as he pulled out that chakra blade of his. Kakashi had to admit, it was a semi-decent –if reckless- strategy, except for one key point that Naruto seemed to have missed. Namely, that the Demon Brother could release the chain from his gauntlet as well, which he did so before Naruto had even halved the distance between them.

"I suppose this has gone on long enough." Kakashi murmured to himself as he decided to step in. The look of surprise on Naruto's face when he suddenly appeared behind the brother and knocked him out was pretty amusing to Kakashi. Though to his credit, Naruto recovered quickly enough to whip around and sling the chain around the poncho wearing brother's neck, before giving it a hard yank, pulling the man to the ground and ending that portion of the fight.

"Well, that went well." Kakashi spoke cheerfully into the silence that followed the abrupt end of the fight.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura suddenly exclaimed angrily. "Why didn't you stop them sooner? What if they hurt Sasuke-kun?"

Kakashi just smiled nonchalantly behind his mask, fully prepared to offer a mildly scathing reply, only to be distracted by a slightly more pressing issue.

"This guy's dead." Sasuke pointed out stoically as he and Naruto searched the Demon Brother not currently being held under Kakashi's arm.

"Well, yeah," Tazuna stuttered slightly as he eyed the ninja nervously. "The blond kid killed him with the chain thing."

"Except the blades didn't puncture or even cut any major arteries or veins. We would have seen an arterial spray of some kind if that were the case." Kakashi pointed out calmly before tugging his captive's arm up so he could examine the blades of the gauntlet. "They probably use the same poison on the chain as their gauntlets."

…

…

…

Curious about the sudden silence, Kakashi looked up from his inspection to see the others staring at Naruto's left arm.

"Oh… Naruto, are you alright?" Kakashi asked Naruto with his usual nonchalance. After all, judging by how quickly the Demon Brother had died, the poison was probably a fast acting one, meaning Naruto should have already been feeling its effects if he'd been hit. And even if he had been hit, Kakashi knew that it would be best to keep Naruto as calm as possible to avoid accelerating the poison's spread. Despite that, Kakashi was fully prepared to grab the teen and dash back to Konoha if necessary, leaving their client to his –in Kakashi's opinion much deserved- fate.

"I'm fine." Naruto answered after a quick inspection of his arm. "It looks like my coat and the way the chain wrapped kept it from cutting my skin."

"Oh, good." Kakashi nodded with well hidden relief. "Well now that that's out of the way…Sakura, you can't really afford to freeze up like that. You put not only yourself, but the entire team and mission in danger." Sakura blanched shamefully at his words, suitably rebuked for once rather than complaining.

"And Naruto, you shouldn't have attacked so recklessly like that. It's entirely possible that they weren't after us at all." Kakashi continued with what to him were the most annoying mistakes his Genin had made. "What would have happened if one of your teammates, or our client was seriously injured or killed, only for the Demon Brothers to not have been targeting us? Just because it turned out alright this time, doesn't mean you should jump into a fight without considering all of the possible consequences, intended or otherwise."

Unlike Sakura, Naruto seemed relatively unconcerned by Kakashi's criticism. "Sensei, is Kiri our ally?" Naruto asked calmly. When he shook his head, Naruto continued. "Then there's nothing wrong with taking out their shinobi when given the chance, right? Even if they weren't after us, what's wrong with cutting away at the competition? We can even take them back to Konoha and get some of Kiri's secrets from them. It's not like Kiri will ever know, or be able to complain without admitting that they sent ninja into our country without our permission."

Kakashi sighed, silently acknowledging the truth of his student's words –at least, the truth that Naruto believed, since there was no way Naruto could have known that the two men were missing-nin- but nonetheless concerned that a rookie Genin would have such a...relatively militant attitude. Particularly his nonchalant outlook towards killing, or interacting with other Shinobi Villages in general.

* * *

Naruto kept an eye on the surrounding forest with Sasuke while Kakashi tied the surviving Kiri Nin to a tree, after thoroughly searching and disarming him. Despite Kakashi's words, Naruto had no doubt the Demon Brothers were after them. As far as he was concerned, the only question was; were they after Tazuna, or were they after _him_? Was Kakashi really upset that Naruto had attacked "recklessly"? Or was he upset that the Old Man's attempt to kill him failed? Not even Kurenai could call him paranoid for suspecting that the pair of assassins -from a country that has no relations with Konoha whatsoever- who just happened to be waiting in his path the first time he left the village was anything other than some kind of assassination attempt.

"How did you see through our technique?" the surviving brother –who Kakashi identified as Meizu- growled angrily at Kakashi even as he glared in Naruto's general direction.

Naruto perked up at the question, as even he only figured out they were there thanks to his "sixth sense". And even then, he'd only known that someone was watching him. That he figured out where the Demon Brothers were hiding was literally just a lucky guess on Naruto's part. So how did Kakashi know…unless he already knew they'd be there…?

"Simple," Kakashi explained with a cheerfully condescending tone. "There isn't going to be a puddle on a sunny day like today. Especially when it hasn't rained in over a week."

That…actually made sense now that Naruto thought about it. _'Wow…' _Naruto thought with something close to awed respect. _'Kakashi is really good…the kind of situational awareness necessary to instantly pick up on that…damn, maybe he really _is _an elite Jounin.' _

Well, either that or the man was even more paranoid than Naruto. One of the two.

"So why didn't you stop them right away?" Tazuna demanded angrily. "I'm paying you ninja good money to make sure I'm safe!"

"Because I needed to see who they were after. Now I know." Kakashi explained before giving the old man a hard glare. "You mind explaining why two missing-nin want you dead, Tazuna?"

Naruto gave a start at that, before glancing at the surviving man's forehead. Just like he'd thought, there was no scratch through the hitae-ate. It was common knowledge that all missing-nin draw the symbolic scar through their village mark. So what was Kakashi talking about?

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tazuna stammered, sweating bullets. "Why would they be after me? I'm just a bridge builder!"

"Well, at first I thought it possible that they may be after me." Kakashi conceded absentmindedly, "After all, I do have a rather large bounty on my head. But these two are far too weak to have seriously contemplated coming after me. They couldn't even beat two of my Genin, yet they never tried to break off from the battle or claim that they had no quarrel with us. That means their target was definitely someone in our group."

Naruto watched with interest as Tazuna looked around for help. Not that he found any. Sasuke was giving him a suspicious eye, Sakura looked like a kicked puppy, and Naruto himself tried to maintain a neutral look as he met the old drunk's eyes. Judging by the man's flinch, Naruto figured he'd failed.

With a heavy sigh, Tazuna conceded defeat. "Alright, I admit it. Although I'm just a bridge builder from Nami no Kuni, the bridge I'm building is super important to my village." Tazuna gave them a focused, almost desperate look as he explained. "Nami no Kuni used to be a peaceful collection of islands that made its living from the sea. Basically, we're a collection of fishermen, sailors, merchants, and traders. I guess that's how we drew the attention of Gato..."

"Gato? Of Gato Shipping?" Kakashi asked suddenly, an undeniable look of interest in his eye. Naruto glanced at his teammates and saw the same look of confusion at the mention of this "Gato".

"That's what he said when he first came to us, offering to sell our stuff for us to a larger group of people than the few companies we had selling our supplies. Even offered us a better percentage of profits than the competition, undercutting them by a huge margin." Tazuna sighed before looking piteously down at the ground. "That was before he started buying out the competition, first by legal means. Then he started shipping in thugs and mercenaries and took over the other shipping companies by less legal means. Once he'd monopolized the shipping industry, he began importing illegal products, like drugs and the like. Before we knew it, he'd taken control of the entire shipping industry, and most of the islands."

"This sounds like something far more complicated than a simple C rank escort mission." Kakashi pointed out angrily. "Do you understand just how much danger you put my team in by lying to us?"

"I know, and I'm sorry but there was nothing else I could do." Tazuna pleaded desperately. "Everyone contributed what little money they had and it still wasn't enough! Please understand, even our Daimyo is poor!"

Naruto frowned at the man's story, several things not making sense to him. How does a Daimyo become poor? Or get pushed around by a _merchant_ of all people?

"Besides, I don't want you to kill Gato. I'm not even sure killing him is possible." Tazuna shook his head. "He has too many people around him all the time. No, what I need are people who can guard me and my bridge as we finish the work on it. With it open, Gato won't be able to stop us from shipping our products once again, and then we can finally bring in the Daimyo's people to get rid of the bastard."

"You lied on your mission application for services that we are unprepared for." Kakashi spat harshly, making Tazuna wince and actually surprising Naruto at the heat in Kakashi's words. It was the first time he'd seen such an emotion from the Jounin. "You not only lied to our Hokage, but to us as well, putting all our lives in danger. What do you think would have happened if my team had walked into Nami no Kuni without any knowledge of the true situation? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't cancel this mission right now."

"Please, wait!" Tazuna cried as he bowed before Kakashi desperately. "Please, we need your help! If you leave me now, Gato will surely have me killed, and my bridge destroyed. The fate of my people and our nation depends on you! Please!"

Naruto snorted, fully prepared to turn on his heel and march straight back to Konoha. So imagine his surprise when Kakashi instead said, "Hmm, tell you what, why don't we see what my team thinks? If they think they can handle it, we'll continue."

Naruto was beyond shocked at Kakashi's words. The man admitted that Tazuna had lied to them, and that they had no obligation to continue the mission. So why were they still talking about this?

"I think we should continue." Sasuke suddenly spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. "Naruto and I took on those two Chuunin easily, and you didn't really need to get involved. Besides, who's to say this Gato will have any more ninja working for him?"

"Sasuke-kun is right!" Sakura chipped in eagerly. "Besides, we have to do what we can to help the people of Nami no Kuni! It's the right thing to do!"

"Not to mention, it'll make us, and Konoha look weak if we just run away from a _merchant_ of all things." Sasuke continued as if Sakura hadn't even spoken.

"Don't be so naïve!" Naruto spat at Sakura. Sasuke he could understand-even if he didn't agree- but Sakura was in her fantasy land again. "We can't just take the old drunk's word for it! Especially when he's already lied to not only us, but to the Old Man as well. For all we know, this "Gato" could actually be the Daimyo of Nami and Tazuna could be a rebel. Unless you really think the Nami Daimyo would just sit by and watch as his country was stolen from him?" That actually caught the others attention, even as Tazuna tried to deny it. Not that Naruto let him. "If we help him, we might end up supporting a rebellion against the rightful ruler of a foreign nation. How do you think _that _would make Konoha look?"

"You don't understand!" Tazuna shouted angrily. "Nami no Kuni is a peaceful nation! We're not like Hi no Kuni! We don't have any kind of military force or shinobi village. All we have are the Daimyo's Guards, and they can't do anything against Gato's mercenaries or any ninjas he's hired!"

There was silence at the man's implication, though no one commented on it before Naruto continued in a calmer tone. "Can't or won't? The "Daimyo's Guard" are mostly Samurai, yes? Hard to believe that such elite warriors are so helpless against a "merchant and his mercenaries". Naruto paused meaningfully before continuing. "Even if Tazuna is telling the truth, we're just inexperienced Genin." He paused there to stare pointedly at Sakura before continuing. "We have zero reliable intelligence on the situation in Nami no Kuni, or what Gato's intentions are. What if Kiri is behind this? After all, neither of these guys have slashed hitae-ate."

"Ah, well that's actually because of the nature of how and why they fled Kirigakure." Kakashi pointed out with the same scholarly air he used when explaining why Nami lacked a shinobi village. "The Demon Brothers were a part of a failed coup d'état against the Yondaime Mizukage several years ago. They and their leader –one of the Seven Swordsmen- were forced to flee Kirigakure afterwards, but they likely haven't given up, and as such don't consider themselves to be missing-nin. But Kirigakure considers them to be missing-nin, so Konoha considers them missing-nin as well, and as such, free game as far as killing or capturing goes if you come across them."

"Why would you want to capture criminals from other ninja villages?" Tazuna asked with a confused look. One which was mirrored by Sakura as they both stared at Kakashi awaiting an answer.

Kakashi blinked before looking at Tazuna. "That's classified." He then turned back to the rest of Team Seven. "I'll tell you when you're older."

"So, since the vote seems to be two to one, it looks like we'll need to do some negotiating, Tazuna-san. In return for our continued service –which will only involve our original mission parameters of protecting you- you will pay Konoha for an A rank mission, on top of what you've already paid. If we run into any ninja stronger than the Demon Brothers, you will pay Konoha the equivalent of an S rank mission. This is non-negotiable. Do we have a deal?"

"Hold on!" Tazuna protested. "Why are you charging me for so much more? You said that the Demon Brothers only made this mission a B rank!"

Kakashi nodded sagely. "True, but you also lied to us, and that kind of thing can't be tolerated, or go unpunished. It would set a rather bad precedent. So you'll pay us quite a bit extra. Take it or leave it."

To no one's surprise, Tazuna agreed, though if looks could kill, Tazuna would have made a brief attempt to murder Kakashi only to run screaming in terror as three quarters of Team Seven chased him with bloody hatchets.

"Cheer up, Tazuna-san." Kakashi said with one of his creepier eye smiles. "In most _other_ Hidden Villages, you'd be made to select an immediate family member for execution. _We're _only charging you a ridiculous amount of money."

Whatever dwindling defiance Tazuna had left quickly faded after that.

* * *

**Translations:**

Hana Yakuotoshi=First word is flower, second is Escape from Evil or exorcism. (That flower petal escape thing she does in the anime, I made the name up.)

Mizu Kouzui no Jutsu=Water Flood Technique

Magen: Jubaku Satsu=Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death

Konohagakure no Jutsu=Hidden in the Tree Leaves Technique. Or to Naruto, Hiding in the Tree Leaves Technique. The irony of this still kills me.

Oni Kyodai=Demon Brothers

Did I miss any?

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**AN: **

And that is chapter twenty. Sorry it took so long. Not too happy with the scenes from Sasuke and Sakura's pov. I keep meaning to go into them more in depth, but it never seems to happen to the degree that I want. Might go back and work on those scenes some more once my beta gets back to me. Still considering changing the name of this story to something...else. So far, the only idea that I've liked has been Naruto: Shadows of the Mind, but I'm not sure. What I am sure about is that with every review I get asking what Naruto is a Specialist in, I feel like I should just change it to something...else. So, if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

Also, if anyone cares, I've had a few things pointed out to me in the first few chapters that were either inconsistent, or came across vastly different than I had intended. And since I've got the next 60,000 some words already sent out for betaing, I'm taking this opportunity to do some revising in between trying to get the next chapters of Reckoning and even Vaccum out. Anyway, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	22. Chapter 21

**Words-179517, Chapters-22, Reviews-795, Hits-472500, C2s-134, Favs-1468, Alerts-1486**

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**AN:** Alright, finally starting to get back into a semi regular update schedule. This one is a little shorter that has been the norm for me, but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on, then left untouched for months before I finally got back to working on it again. Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 21 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**Chapter Twenty-One**

It had taken them three days to make it to the shore where Tazuna claimed it would be safe to cross. Along the way, Naruto calmed down somewhat and with Tazuna's story bouncing around his head, Naruto began to see ways he could benefit from this mission. Whether this "Gato" was real or not, his support could be the first step in Naruto's plans to accumulate the power needed to back the Old Man into a corner. Naruto had never thought he'd find such a situation so easily, or so early in his career for that matter! He'd expected to have to wait until he was a Chuunin for such an opportunity to come along.

If he played his cards right, Naruto could gain the support of a powerful shipping magnate, along with his not so inconsiderable wealth, and the de facto ruler of a nation, all in one. And all it would cost him was a single "failed" mission. So Tazuna would most likely die, and the Nami no Kuni Daimyo would be replaced by someone of less "noble" lineage. That didn't seem too bad. After all, if what Tazuna said was true, then it seemed the people of Nami weren't really resisting or putting up much of a fight. So it wasn't like Gato was going to butcher the local population, right? What purpose would that serve? And if the people weren't willing to fight, then obviously their situation couldn't be as bad as Tazuna made it out to be.

Really, was the situation even worth fighting over? Tazuna kept making all these grand speeches about "freeing" his country and returning hope and pride to the people. But to Naruto, it just sounded like a bunch of vague nationalistic bullshit.

Who's to say that Nami no Kuni wouldn't be better off under "Gato's" control? Hell, a merchant capable of building a huge shipping corporation and becoming one of the world's richest men in the process, was probably more qualified to run a country than some Daimyo who was only in charge because his ancestors were.

The silhouette of the shoreline in the mist broke Naruto out of his contemplations as he strained his eyes to make out any dangers awaiting them.

"This is as far as I'm going, Tazuna." The boatman muttered quietly as he got them as close to shore as he could without beaching the boat. "I'm sorry, but I can't stick my neck out any further than this."

"You've done more than enough." The old drunk said as he patted the man on the shoulder. "You don't know how much closer you've brought our country to..." he trailed off at the man's less than thrilled look at the prospect of being free. If anything, Naruto thought he just looked terrified that they were going to get caught at any moment.

While waiting for Kakashi and Tazuna to finish discussing their next move, Naruto carefully sniffed, and then Listened for any sign of trouble, until Kakashi gave the signal to move out.

Moving carefully, the team headed off into the woods, being guided by Tazuna as he took them on the straightest course to his house. "I'm sorry about heading cross-country like this, but traveling by the roads is too dangerous for me. Gato's men or collaborators can be anywhere."

"We can handle a little wilderness." Kakashi spoke idly as he stayed very close to Tazuna. Naruto was slightly reassured that the Jounin's eye was scanning over their surroundings with a sweeping motion, picking apart the possible cover areas for ambushes and subtly guiding them away from such places. Between Kakashi and Sasuke, Naruto was confident that they could cover their security, while making up for the…inadequacies of the other two members of the group.

Keeping a decent amount of space between himself and the group of three –Kakashi sticking close to Tazuna and a visibly nervous Sakura following close behind- with Sasuke doing the same on the group's other side; Naruto could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, waiting for something –_anything_- to happen.

Occasionally stopping and going through the motions of glancing around, Naruto would clench his eyes shut for the few seconds it took him to Listen, before opening his eyes again and continuing. Each time he closed his eyes, Naruto felt his already dry throat get dryer, and his tension skyrocket, all the while cursing that he'd yet to figure out how to use his little trick without blocking out his other senses. Between those heart pounding moments, he'd continuously sniff the air as discreetly as he could; all the while hoping that he'd be fast enough to react if he found anything. _'Damn, this is almost as nerve-wracking as watching Kurenai stroll unconcernedly into a meeting with the Old Man.'_

It was when they entered a clearing near a small lake that the moment came. His sixth sense went haywire; causing Naruto's survival instinct to jump into overdrive. Catching a slight movement out of the corner of his eye, Naruto threw a kunai into a bush before leaping into the foliage, attempting to flank whatever had been watching them. What he found didn't relieve him in the slightest. Grabbing the trembling rabbit by the neck before it could escape, Naruto quickly retrieved his kunai from the tree and leaped back out into the clearing, the feeling of being watched not having faded at all.

He was greeted by the sight of his alerted team waiting for some form of attack or word on what Naruto had seen. Kakashi had a kunai in his hand with a firm look on the visible portion of his face, and Sakura and Sasuke had jumped away from the bush, surrounding Tazuna as best they could.

"Naruto?" Kakashi called to him carefully, the sound of metal being ripped from something having no doubt alerted them before Naruto returned holding the terrified snow hare.

Their reactions varied greatly, from Tazuna, who's expression changed from fearful, to confused, to a mixture of relief and mocking in short order, to Kakashi and Sasuke who continued to scan their surroundings while sending questioning gazes to Naruto, apparently knowing him well enough to still be cautious.

And then there was the little girl's reaction. "Jeez, Naruto, you scared the living hell out of that poor animal." Sakura hissed at him reproachfully as she reached to take the snow hare from him, only to squawk indignantly when Naruto carelessly tossed the creature at her, his eyes darting around the clearing as he continued to search for the source of his anxiety.

The feeling of being watched hadn't faded in the slightest, but no matter how he tried, Naruto couldn't seem to pinpoint their location by scent, and they were being still enough that he couldn't pick up any signs of movement. "Shut up, Sakura!" Naruto hissed tightly as he tried desperately to find their hidden watchers. But between all the salt in the air, and the light mist that was slowly but surely drifting in, Naruto couldn't smell or see anything meaningful. Cursing, Naruto took a desperate gamble and squeezed his eyes shut. It was a sign of how frayed his nerves were that it took him three tries to Listen properly. And he was just in time too.

He picked up a low, droning sound that was beginning to increase in volume as the seconds passed. His eyes shot open as he recognized the sound, diving to the ground almost before Kakashi could shout out, "Get down!"

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Kakashi and Sasuke were both already down, the former dragging Tazuna down with him. Naruto would have taken a measure of comfort that his estimation of Kakashi and Sasuke's skills were spot on, if it wasn't for the wide eyed look of not quite horror that Kakashi was sending at something behind him.

* * *

"Eh!?" Sakura couldn't help but jump when Kakashi suddenly shouted, shattering the tense silence that had befallen the group after Naruto jumped into the bushes. Then one of her greatest assets became a glaring weakness. Sakura had a very bright mind when her emotions didn't cloud her judgment, the fact that she surpassed all others in her class at the Academy when it came to written tests and other academic subjects was proof of that. But she preferred to see all available pieces of a puzzle before deciding how to proceed in any given situation. So when Kakashi-sensei shouted out his warning, Sakura hesitated, fatally so.

She could hear something tearing through the branches coming at them and looked toward the sound as her training had demanded of her, so that she could identify the possible oncoming threat.

At first, Sakura couldn't see anything but the mist that had slowly snuck in around them. Then, as the noise drew closer, she was able to make out something large that glinted in what little light hadn't been obscured by the mist. Something that Sakura was sure was not a flight of bugs coming at her, and she couldn't for the life of her think to move. She _knew _she needed to act, but her fear paralyzed her, even as everything seemed to slow down around her.

For all the good it did her, she could now identify the seemingly gigantic sword that was spinning towards her. Her eyes widened in terror as her analytical mind deduced just what the blade would do when it reached her, and her rather vivid imagination had no problems showing it to her in gory detail. As she turned her head looking for help, she wanted to scream at how her body seemed to be made of molasses, it moved so slowly. Finally after what seemed a lifetime, her eyes found Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun, both too far away to aid her in time, the sword having already halved the distance between them.

Movement at the very edge of her vision caused her to sluggishly look down. She would have jumped again had she been able, when her gaze met a single eye of her other teammate. Naruto was moving just as slowly as everyone else, still in the process of turning his head to look at her, leaving only the scarred side of his face visible as he gazed at her with a cold, unconcerned look. By now, Sakura could have reached out and touched the blade it was so close and she sent a desperate, panicky look to Naruto. _Help me!_ Her eyes begged, filling up with tears when Naruto's eye sent back, _No._

For a split second, Sakura wanted to scream and rage and even _hit_ something. This wasn't fair! She wasn't supposed to die like this! She was supposed to prove everyone who had ever looked down on her wrong, and have a long and fulfilling life of bliss with the one she loved! Not die in some backwater country on her first real mission. Then the moment passed and she was filled with nothing but despair as she looked back towards her doom, the spinning blade less than one rotation away from cleaving her in two. She briefly entertained the idea of meeting her death head on, but she cringed away from that almost instantly. _'I don't want to die!'_ her mind screamed as she squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight that was to come. Time sped up again, just as she felt something sharp squeeze tight around her legs and tug with a mighty pull, effortlessly sweeping her off her feet. She toppled to her left, feeling a second painful tug, this time on her hair, and shrieked in pain and fear as _something_ cut and ripped a large chunk of her splayed hair. Then the thing continued on passed her as she collapsed onto the ground, the feeling of loose hairs cascading down around her.

She lay on the ground helplessly for a second as the sound stopped suddenly with a crunch, impacting close by. It took what seemed like a lifetime for Sakura to force her eyes open and sit up, distantly noticing the clumps of pink hair that slid off her or floated to the ground around her as she stared at her legs in shock. Wrapped around her ankles, and digging in cruelly to break the skin in some places was a single strand of wire, its end reaching back to the most unlikely person in her mind. Naruto.

* * *

Naruto scowled to himself as he released his end of the wire. When he'd seen the situation, he'd made a choice instantly, determined to make Sakura sink or swim. All the stupid girl had needed to do was just fall down, hardly a high level maneuver. Instead, she'd frozen up, all but giving up on herself and Naruto would be lying if he said he'd lose any sleep over her death. The girl had chosen her own fate as far as he had been concerned. But then his conscience –which for some reason always looked like a disappointed Kurenai- had intervened, compelling him to step in, retrieving and using ninja wire to pull Sakura down faster than he had thought he was capable of. Of course, the girl's ankles were now bruised and bleeding from how hard he'd pulled her down, but he figured she should be grateful- after all, the wire was designed to cut through flesh.

Pulling himself into a crouch, Naruto looked around for their hidden watchers again, only to recoil as something that absolutely _reeked_ of blood blurred past him too fast to be seen, before the source of the smell appeared, standing on the hilt of the enormous sword lodged in the tree in front of them. The man just stood there, looking back at the group over his shoulder, seemingly uncaring that he was throwing away his element of surprise to do so. But Naruto couldn't really bring himself to care about that. The smell of blood coming off the man was nauseating, and Naruto could still feel someone watching them all. So the question was, what were they waiting for?

"Well, if it isn't the Kirigakure no Kijin, Zabuza Momochi." Kakashi spoke with a tense sort of forced calm as he moved to place himself between Zabuza and the others. "You're a long way from Mizu no Kuni, aren't you?"

Zabuza turned a little more and stared at Kakashi for a second before recognition lit up his eyes. The sound of the huge blade being ripped free sent Naruto scuttling back, dragging Sakura with him one handed while reaching for a kunai with the other. "I see my reputation precedes me." Zabuza smirked behind the bandages wrapped around his lower face in a makeshift facial mask. Black, spiky short hair shifted as he slung his blade up on his shoulder with one hand as if the blade was made of the lightest materials rather than being taller than Naruto himself and almost as wide. Shirtless, his well-defined muscles rippled as his body adjusted to the weight while his grey pants with vertical black lines running down them swished with a barely audible sound, even to Naruto's sensitive ears.

"I know you as well_, _Kopi Ninja Kakashi." His left hand flexed as his right tightened on the pommel of his weapon. "Back when I was an Anbu in Kiri, you were ranked pretty high in our Bingo book. Still, I don't really have any problem with you and yours. So what do you say you just hand over the bridge builder and I'll spare your team?"

"Sorry Zabuza, but I can't do that." Kakashi replied cheerfully. "Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura!" Kakashi's voice barked abruptly, snapping even Sakura's attention up to him, though she was still shaky. "Protect Tazuna! I'll deal with Zabuza..." He ordered as he reached up to his headband, shifting it upward as he glared at Zabuza.

The way Sasuke jerked in shocked disbelief as he recognized the eye that had been hidden behind the headband didn't escape Naruto's notice. Of course, he was rather surprised himself. _'The Sharingan? But how? I thought that clan was wiped out?'_ Pushing the thought aside for the time being, Naruto and his teammates leapt to surround Tazuna in a triangle formation, each scanning their assigned sectors with varying degrees of intensity. Sakura was still shaken and her eyes darted to and fro like a cornered animal, while Sasuke was calmer and more controlled, scanning his surroundings for any possible threat while trying to keep an eye on Zabuza and Kakashi. Naruto on the other hand, _knew_ there was someone else out there still.

"So, you think you can fight me?" Zabuza tsked as he jumped backwards toward the lake. Forming a half ram seal in front of him and sheathing his sword to his back, he raised his other hand high above his head in the other half of the ram seal, his eyes closed. "Kirigakure no Jutsu!" the Kiri Jounin hissed in a low tone that Naruto barely caught, even with his hearing. Mist rolled in from everywhere, between the trees, from the lake itself, even the clouds seemed to heed Zabuza's summons, causing all visibility to drop down to nothing within seconds.

"Sensei." Naruto called lowly as Kakashi slowly strode into the mist. Whether it was because of the situation, the way Naruto tried to discreetly get the man's attention, or the fact that he had actually called him sensei, Kakashi halted. He didn't do anything else, yet he still gave the air that he was listening intently. Of course, now that he had his attention, Naruto hesitated. He'd never told anyone about his "sixth sense" before. In fact he'd done his best to conceal it, even from the one he trusted most.

Not only did he use it to keep people guessing at just how he knew they were there so easily, but if he revealed it now, the knowledge could spread uncontrollably until it reached the Old Man. And if anyone could figure out how to circumvent his "sixth sense" it was the Old Man.

Finally, Naruto gave in and chose survival now over possible survival later. "There's still someone else out there."

His sensei gave him a searching look with his Sharingan -which caused Naruto a thoroughly disconcerting feeling- before giving the slightest of nods. "Understood." Kakashi answered just as quietly as he began strolling off into the mist. "And Naruto? You and I need to have a talk when this is all over."

"Well now, Kakashi," Zabuza's voice seemed to echo from everywhere as the tension in the air built slowly. "I'll give you a choice on how you want to die, in recognition of the skill you possess." The dark chuckle after he spoke sent shivers up the Genin's backs. "You have eight choices; the lungs, the liver, the spine, the clavicle, the neck, the kidneys, the brain, or the heart. Whichever one you choose, I promise to make it quick."

As Zabuza named off each spot on the body, his killer intent jumped by degrees until it was nearly impossible to think straight. Team Seven and their client were all but paralyzed, Sakura had dropped her kunai and was shivering uncontrollably, lost in whatever waking nightmare her mind had created to deal with this hell, and Sasuke was eyeing his own kunai, drawing it ever closer to his own throat. Naruto was only marginally better off than the others thank to Anko's rather harsh training methods, which involved scaring the living crap out of him whenever she could. Even then, the only thing keeping him from running as fast as he could was the utter terror that his fastest wouldn't be enough to escape Zabuza, leaving his body all but locked up as his instinct to flee warred with his certainty of death if he tried.

The sudden flare of Kakashi's own killing intent, along with a surge of chakra to push back the mist enough that they could see a little further, lightened the terror that had gripped them. Kakashi turned his head enough to send them one of his eye smiles and the whispered words, "I will protect my team with my life." Strangely enough, that was enough to snap the group out of their respective terrors.

"Not today, Kakashi." Zabuza's voice muttered in their presence, all three Genin instantly realizing that it was coming from within their circle of protection. Turning, they could barely see the form of Zabuza maintaining the half ram sign in front of him while one hand held onto the handle of his still sheathed weapon. "Not a chance!" He shouted as he whipped out his sword, aiming for Tazuna.

Naruto doubted he'd ever turned so quickly in his life, yet at the same time, he knew he'd never make it in time. He was only half turned when suddenly; Kakashi was there, a kunai in hand and amazingly enough, blocking the huge blade before parrying it up over his head. Taking advantage of Zabuza's overpowered swing, Kakashi stabbed Zabuza in the neck, aiming for his carotid artery.

For a split second, Naruto thought it was all over, before he noticed something strange. The overwhelming scent of blood wasn't coming off the Kiri nin. His eyes widened as the wetness of arterial spray that splashed against him and Kakashi was cold instead of warm. "Zabuza" smirked before bursting into water and falling to the ground. "What… the…fuck…" Naruto whispered in a terrified awe at the sight, half his mind reeling trying to figure what just happened –a quick Kai revealing that yes, that…just…_happened_…- while the other half was caught on the fact that _'Holy shit, he just exploded into water!'_

"Mizu Bunshin..." Kakashi cursed –answering Naruto's unspoken question- and spinning around to face the sudden spike of killer intent.

"You lose, Kakashi!" Zabuza crowed as he spun his blade down into the silver haired Jounin's body, cutting through him with one swing. His victorious smile dropped as Kakashi's body burst into water just as "he" had done moments before. "That's impressive; you only had a moment to see my Mizu Bunshin fall apart, and yet you still managed to make one in that brief moment."

Naruto couldn't help but grin as he watched a piece of steel slide up to Zabuza's throat from behind. The way the Kiri Jounin froze even as his eyes looked down at the hand holding the kunai to his throat was even better.

"It's over, Zabuza. Surrender and I'll spare your life." Kakashi ordered tersely, though Naruto thought he should have just finished it then and there. But seeing as how Kakashi was pretty much the only thing standing between him and death right now –both literally and figuratively- Naruto was willing to cut him some slack.

At least, he was until Zabuza just grinned at Kakashi's demand, giving Naruto a very bad feeling. "Give up now? When it's just getting started?" His form blurred before the water holding him together dropped to the ground in a splash. Kakashi tried to spin in place, only for the kick that Zabuza gave him to his gut to knock the wind out of him and launch him backwards, splashing down into the lake.

Even as Kakashi soared through the air, Naruto was bringing his kunai down on Zabuza's exposed back, aiming for the spine. Naruto had been sparring with Anko for years, and that woman was as fast as the snakes she so often made use of. Kurenai was even faster, and while Kakashi was probably the laziest ninja he'd ever met, he was still pretty fast as well. As it turned out, Zabuza was pretty fast too. Naruto's eyes could _just_ follow Zabuza's free arm as he effortlessly knocked his kunai aside, before swinging back towards his face. He could_ see_ it, but that didn't mean he could _do_ anything about it. The man's fist smashed down onto his face like an avalanche, sending him crashing into the ground so hard he actually bounced.

Thankfully, Zabuza wasn't really focusing on him, choosing instead to dart onto the lake after Kakashi. Though he was still struggling not to black out, Naruto's ears still managed to pick up Zabuza muttering darkly, "I have you now. Suirou no Jutsu!"

Slowly pushing himself to his feet, Naruto shook his head to clear it, and immediately regretted it. He might have blacked out for a second, he wasn't really sure, but when he could finally see clearly again, he was greeted by Tazuna and his two teammates staring towards the lake, the old drunk and Sakura with almost identical looks of horror on their faces. Even Sasuke looked shocked by whatever was happening. Blinking in confusion, Naruto struggled to understand what their problem was. After a few seconds without being able to figure it out, and feeling like someone had stuffed his skull full of wool, Naruto scratched at his head in confusion, before he had a wonderful idea. He should look at whatever they were looking at. Obscenely pleased with his deduction skills, Naruto turned towards the lake and stared. "Oh…" he murmured faintly as the haze lifted from his mind enough to wonder if he'd been hit hard enough to be seeing things.

Water warped around Kakashi, encasing him in a liquid bubble of water that Zabuza lifted up into the air as if the man inside and the water wrapped around his left hand weighed nothing at all.

"Just sit there and watch as I kill your little team off." Zabuza commented idly as he made a single hand sign with his free hand and the lake water responded, forming a copy of himself out of the water's surface.

"Everyone, run! Get Tazuna the hell out of here!" Kakashi shouted, his voice echoing in the watery prison. "His clones can't move far from him, and he can't move while he's holding onto the prison! Forget about me and run!"

It took a second for Kakashi's words to filter through Naruto's muddled brain, but he didn't hesitate for a second once they did. He turned on his heel and ran into the surrounding forest as fast as he could.

* * *

There was a shocked pause following Naruto's abrupt departure, and Kakashi couldn't help but feel the slightest bit of anger that Naruto didn't even _hesitate_ before following his orders to leave him behind. Sure, he and Naruto had had a bit of a rough start, but surely his sensei's son had enough respect for him that he would feel _something_ at Kakashi's impending doom. That Naruto apparently didn't care in the slightest was…_annoying_. Shaking aside his irritation, he called out to his remaining students. "What are you waiting for!? Get out of here!"

Tazuna was obviously anxious to run, his arm outstretched towards where Naruto had vanished, a cry of "take me with you!" still on his lips. Seeing that Naruto was not likely to come back for him, their client seemed to be waiting for one of his students to go with him, probably hoping that that they would continue to protect him. Sakura certainly looked ready to run, but the way her eyes kept darting between where Naruto had disappeared into the woods and Sasuke for guidance wasn't exactly reassuring.

His heart sank when Sasuke stepped forward, placing himself between Zabuza and the others in a determined stance, kunai in hand. "Sasuke, no!" he shouted out as Zabuza's clone blurred forward, kicking his student aside before the original chuckled cruelly.

"Look at you, children playing at being shinobi." Zabuza mocked as Sasuke scrambled back to his feet and launched himself at the clone in a flurry of punches and kicks. After a moment, he succeeded in destroying the clone, only to be blindsided by a second Mizu Bunshin leaping out of the water and sending Sasuke crashing to the ground once more. "Pathetic! If you're not in my Bingo book, you're not worthy of the title of shinobi!" Kakashi could only watch helplessly as Zabuza's killing intent skyrocketed, leaving his students helplessly frozen in place. "At least the other brat was smart enough to know when he's outmatched. Maybe he'll make something of himself one day. Too bad the rest of you won't be there to see it!"

* * *

It took all of Naruto's self-control to keep his body from shaking at the surge of energy flowing through him. Once he'd reached the forest, Naruto had kept running until the sensation of being watched faded away, before stopping to utilize his Konohagakure no Jutsu, only to fumble and fail three times, his head still ringing from Zabuza's blow. Finally, he remembered the contents of his pouches, and after few tries, managed to find and consume a soldier pill. The surge of chakra and energy succeeded in clearing away the last of the fog clouding his mind - allowing Naruto to finally realize that he might have had a concussion- and finally get his Genjutsu to work. The downside of this was that Naruto's energy levels were already near their peak _before _he'd taken the pill. Now he had so much energy running through him that he had difficulty remaining still.

The last time he'd felt like this was when Anko had given him about a pound's worth of snacks that were almost pure sugar. He'd spent most of that day running around and bouncing off the walls of his apartment.

Realizing that he'd been tapping his fingers against the hilt of his chakra blade for some time now, Naruto clenched his fist tightly to stop, before drawing the blade –unconsciously channeling his excess chakra through it- and a kunai as he studied the situation.

He'd moved as quickly as he could without giving himself away, and from the look of things, he'd made it to the other side of the lake just in time. Kakashi was still trapped in the water sphere held by Zabuza, and what Naruto assumed to be another Mizu Bunshin was keeping Sasuke at bay. Strangely enough, Sasuke appeared to be holding his own against his opponent, even managing to plant a kunai in "Zabuza's" thigh, causing "him" to burst into water once more. Were the Mizu Bunshin weaker than the original? If so, then how much weaker? Did Zabuza himself grow weaker the more clones he made? The second "Zabuza" certainly didn't have much trouble knocking Sasuke back down.

As Zabuza began to taunt the downed Uchiha, Naruto weighed his options. He knew he had to do _something_ if he wanted to survive this catastrophe. The question was _what_ should he do? Did he try to free Kakashi in the hopes that his sensei would be able to beat Zabuza, hopefully without the hidden watcher intervening? Or should he take a gamble and try to kill Zabuza himself? Ignoring for the moment that Zabuza was apparently a Jounin of some renown, if Naruto managed to kill him, then Kakashi should still be freed. And that would mean that it would just be them versus the hidden watchers, who might even flee if they saw Zabuza die. That would be the best outcome they could realistically hope for. But the question remained, _could_ he kill Zabuza? Naruto didn't doubt the man was stronger than him, so if he were to try to take him out, he'd need every bit of surprise he could scrape together, and even then, he'd only have one shot. Even worse, he couldn't afford to wait too long, lest Kakashi drown, or Zabuza get tired of playing with Sasuke.

Glancing around the clearing once more, Naruto made his decision.

Ensuring that his Genjutsu was still active, Naruto carefully stepped out onto the water, and then sprinted forward as silently as he could. As he halved the distance between Zabuza and himself, the Kiri Jounin began taunting Sasuke and Sakura with stories of his days in the Kiri Academy. As he quartered the distance, Kakashi explained the horrors of the "Chigiri no Sato" and the story behind their graduation practice, as well as its abrupt end and the birth of the Demon of the Mist.

As Naruto made it within a few feet of Zabuza, he readied himself to strike though on the inside he was panicking ever so slightly. _'Holy shit, holy shit, please work, holy shit!' _Unconsciously breathing a sigh of relief that Zabuza hadn't detected him, Naruto lunged forward, kunai poised to puncture the man's kidney while his chakra blade aimed to sever his spine. At this close range, there was no way he could fail, especially since he remained all but invisible to the bandaged freak.

So imagine his horror when Zabuza suddenly spun around just as Naruto's blade grazed his back, lashing out at him with a powerful and -given the sheer size of the sword- inescapable horizontal swing. Knowing that he was doomed, Naruto nonetheless tried to block with his kunai, only for his stomach to drop when the sword effortlessly sheared through it. All but resigned to death, Naruto made one final, desperate attempt to survive by blocking with his chakra blade.

_'Kurenai…' _was Naruto's final thought as he gasped in pain, his lungs trying and failing to draw breath as he flew back. The pain in his arm and chest was the only thing keeping him aware, which he distantly knew was surprising. Even more surprising was when a hand caught him where there shouldn't have been anyone. The fact that he was actually still standing drew more than a few blinks from him as well, before he glanced behind him into the eyes of a smiling Kakashi. "Good job, Naruto-kun." His sensei said as he drew Naruto behind him. "Now, leave this to me and help protect Tazuna."

Blinking, Naruto stared at his chakra blade in awe. There wasn't even a scratch on the blade that he'd once viewed as little more than a bribe. _'How the hell did such an ordinary blade stop that monstrosity of a sword?'_ Naruto wondered amazedly as he tried to catch his breath.

"You're brat isn't too bad at Genjutsu, Kakashi. Bastard actually cut me." Zabuza stated with a mocking respect. "He's the one that found me out too isn't he? And he knows how to sneak when he has to. Shame he has to die before he can make something of himself."

"Sorry to break it to you Zabuza, but there's only one person dying here today." Kakashi responded calmly, just before the two jumped further out into the lake.

Trying to shake off how close he'd come to dying, Naruto used a quick Kawarimi to switch with the kunai clenched in Sakura's hands. Not the best target considering how the girl practically shrieked in his ears when he appeared.

After a few moments of unnerving silence, Kakashi and Zabuza moved back into view. "Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" Both of them called out at the same time and two dragons of water shot upward from the water surface before rushing toward one another, canceling the other out.

_'Kakashi used the same jutsu as him? Why?'_ Naruto wondered to himself in surprise as the two Jounin began to run around the lake, Kakashi keeping a perfect distance from Zabuza. The Kiri Jounin began forming new hand seals, only to stop mid-motion, already realizing what Naruto was just beginning to notice. Kakashi was doing the _exact_ same hand seals as Zabuza, at the _exact _same time. _'What the hell?' _Naruto wondered with a slight bit of awe.

"You're probably wondering how I know what you're going to do next?" Kakashi calmly uttered, seizing everyone's attention at his calm tone, and the harsh glare of his spinning Sharingan.

Zabuza snorted derisively. "So you can mimic me, big deal. It's-"

"Nothing compared to the real thing, am I right?" Kakashi cut in smoothly, causing Zabuza's face to twitch in annoyance.

"Think what you will..." Zabuza began and once again, Kakashi followed along, this time, repeating Zabuza's words the same time as he spoke.

"Damn, this is getting plain _creepy_." Naruto muttered to himself as he eyed the macabre show playing out before them.

"You're just a monkey!" Zabuza looked shocked this time as he finished speaking; Kakashi remained steadfast where he stood. "How are you doing this, you bastard?" Zabuza demanded as both of their hands began making hand signs once again, only for his fingers to falter, his eyes wide in shock and filled with fear and disbelief. Strangely, Naruto was sure the Kiri Jounin was staring at something _past _Kakashi. _'What's he looking at? Is this some kind of Genjutsu?'_

Shrugging off his confusion at least for the moment, Naruto quickly ran through hand signs of his own, more than willing to provide some long range support. "Mizu Kouzui no Jutsu!" Naruto muttered under his breath, feeling the technique take hold and seeing in his mind's eye what Zabuza himself would be experiencing. To the bloodthirsty Jounin, it would appear as if the water surged up from his feet to wrap around his head like a miniature version of the jutsu the Kiri Jounin had used against Kakashi. Naruto grinned ferally as the Jounin instinctively tried to knock the water aside, leaving him wide open.

An opening Kakashi was more than willing to take. "Daibakufu no Jutsu!" Kakashi finished the last hand seal, causing the water around him to spin into a whirling mass that rushed at Zabuza like the waterfall the jutsu was named after.

Zabuza seemed to be frozen in shock as his own jutsu was thrust back against him even as the water blasted him backwards into a tree and pounded against him with bone crushing force. When the water fell away, kunai were revealed to be embedded in Zabuza's upper arms and legs and he moaned painfully as he frantically looked around for Kakashi, finally finding him in a branch just above him.

"How did you...?" Zabuza asked weakly, struggling just to remain standing, never mind attempting to continue the fight.

"This eye can see the future." Kakashi answered ominously as the red eye in his scarred socket glared down at the Kiri nuke nin. "And what it sees… is your death."

Hearing the familiar sound of metal cutting through the air, Naruto cursed as he saw senbon needles as long as his hand fly with pinpoint accuracy…and then ripped into Zabuza's neck, jerking his head to the side with a sickening sound before his body fell to the ground in a boneless heap. Naruto blinked in surprise, before narrowing his eyes suspiciously, prodding his teammates and client to get them moving over towards the dubious safety of their sensei. Kakashi himself had jumped down to the ground and was inspecting Zabuza's body, even as a blue kimono clad ninja wearing a face mask with the symbol of Kiri etched into its forehead appeared nearby.

"My thanks, ninja of Konoha." The figure's voice was a middle ground of octave, young enough to hide the gender in a neutral tone. "I have been hunting this one for over a year now. The Mizukage will be pleased to hear about this one's death."

_'Took your sweet time getting involved, asshole…'_ Naruto thought suspiciously as he and Sasuke moved to flank the newcomer from both sides.

Kakashi stood up warily, eyeing the long black hair tied up with a single bun in the back, the rest left to hang to mid back. "You're an Oinin then, I take it." Kakashi asked as he sent an inquiring glance to Naruto.

For his part, Naruto gave the slightest of nods, answering Kakashi's unspoken question. _This is the other one._

The Oinin ignored this, merely tilting their head down to the body. "One of the Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shuu… A far way to fall for one who had glory thrust upon them so long ago." Looking back up at them, the ninja spoke directly to Kakashi. "If it's not too much trouble, I'm afraid I have to ask you to turn the body over to me."

Kakashi eyed Zabuza's corpse for a good minute before covering his Sharingan and nodding briskly. "I understand. His body doesn't mean anything to me, and I have a job I have to get back to anyway."

Naruto grimaced as Kakashi stood back from Zabuza's body, signaling Sasuke and him to stand down as the Oinin walked over to it, picking the carcass up effortlessly over one shoulder. Granted, Naruto didn't actually know anything about the process, but Konoha still could have discovered a lot of secrets from Zabuza's corpse. And as one of the ones responsible for retrieving it, Naruto would have surely received both a reward, and a boost in reputation and influence. Still, despite Naruto's less than patriotic feelings towards Konoha, even he couldn't afford to disobey Kakashi in this.

"This is most appreciated, Jounin-san. The Mizukage will be pleased." Making a half ram sign, they departed with a Shunshin, a parting, "Until next time." drifting on the wind.

Naruto breathed a little easier when there was no feeling of being watched, his body once again beginning to shake slightly as the adrenaline rush left him and the knowledge of how close they all came to dying _really_ sank in..

"Well, that went well..." Kakashi managed to get out before he fell face first onto the ground with a thud. For some reason, that caused Naruto to have to hold in a hysterical cackle.

Team Seven stared in surprise at their downed sensei for a moment; before Sakura gave a tentative "Kakashi-sensei?" as she bent down to shake his shoulder.

Taking all of the hysteria bubbling inside of him and forcefully burying it under layers of self-control and the burning desire to _not die_ out here, Naruto walked over and rolled his sensei onto his back, doing his best to figure out what was wrong with the man. Kakashi didn't appear to be injured in any way, and there weren't any obvious signs of poisoning. "I think he's just got chakra exhaustion, so I don't think he's going to die. But we need to go." Naruto commented, eyeing Sasuke who nodded in agreement before looking at Tazuna, who seemed rather shell shocked.

Tazuna seemed to shake himself out his stupor after a few seconds of having Sasuke and Naruto eyeing him. "My house isn't that far away. Can you carry him that far?"

"Of course we could." Naruto snorted disdainfully. "But we're not going to. You and Sakura are." Tazuna looked like he wanted to object but Naruto didn't give him the chance. "Sasuke and I are the only things standing between you and anything else out there. We're not going to destroy whatever chance we have of making it through this by acting like pack mules. Now hurry up, I want to be somewhere secure before nightfall."

Walking past them in the direction Tazuna indicated, Naruto gestured for Sasuke to take up the rear guard and added dismissively to Sakura, "Make yourself useful." with a nod to where Tazuna was struggling to lift Kakashi.

* * *

**Translations:**

Kirigakure no Kijin=Demon of the Hidden Mist

Mizu no Kuni=Land of Water

Suirou no Jutsu=Water Prison Technique

Mizu Bunshin=Water Clone

Chigiri no Sato=Village of the Bloody Mist

Suiryuudan no Jutsu=Water Dragon Bullet Technique

Daibakufu no Jutsu=Great Waterfall Technique

Mizukage=Water Shadow

Oinin=Hunter nin

Kiri no Shinobigatana Shichinin Shuu=Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist

Mizu Kouzui no Jutsu=Water Flood Technique

Did I miss any?

* * *

**AN: **

And that is chapter twenty-one. Just another one of those things that always bugged me, how Naruto and crew, as rookie Genin, seem to take almost everything they see an opponent do in stride. I think the first instance I can remember of anyone in Canon actually going "How did he do that?" was Lee after watching Shino fight Zaku. Might be something from the bridge scene, but I can't remember. Anyway, always bugged me when writers make the characters act like seeing a guy get stabbed, and then turn into water, was a common occurrence. Not too happy with the fight scenes again, but at the same time, I can't really justify Naruto beating Zabuza at this point either. Anyway, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	23. Chapter 22

**Words-187272, Chapters-23, Reviews-835, Hits-500285, C2s-138, Favs-1535, Alerts-1557**

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**AN:** Whoo hoo! Over half a million hits! Now I just need to shoot for that elusive thousand reviews and I'm set. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on, then left untouched for months before I finally got back to working on it again. Sent it out for betaing to two different people, both of whom I promptly lost all contact with. I almost feel like I'm in the Pelican Brief, and if something happens to you after you read this chapter, you have my sincerest apologies. Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 22 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

In a mist laden clearing, the stillness was disrupted by an inexplicable tornado of wind and leaves. When the wind dissipated and the leaves lazily floated to the ground, a diminutive masked figure was left hunched over by the combined weight of the much larger Demon of the Mist and his legendary sword. The figure glanced around the clearing quickly, anxious to be on with their work, yet not so careless as to proceed without first ensuring their privacy.

Finally satisfied, the masked ninja laid the fallen missing-nin on the ground, before stabbing the massive sword into the earth near his head. Kneeling down beside him, the figure absentmindedly went over the fight they had witnessed between Zabuza and the famous Sharingan Kakashi while unrolling a tool kit filled with various nasty, sharp instruments crucial for their work. Everything had seemed to be going well for Zabuza at first, barring the initial failed sneak attack. The Konoha Jounin was trapped by Zabuza, the older and likely more experienced of the remaining Genin had fled, and of the two who remained, only the male seemed to be a possible threat, going toe to toe with one of Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin and successfully defeating it. The sole female and the bridge builder seemed to be all but frozen in fear; easy targets for the Kiri Swordsman were not for the man's unfortunate habit of toying with his prey.

And then everything seemed to go wrong for the missing-nin. The third student had returned, somehow getting close enough to actually draw blood from Zabuza and forcing him to release the jutsu that held Kakashi prisoner. The Oinin paused in their examination of the damage done to Zabuza's body with a frown. They didn't have the slightest idea how the blond had managed to get so close without their notice, let alone Zabuza's. In fact, the only warning had been a slight tugging on their senses just before Zabuza had spun to meet the new threat. Even more amazing was the fact that the blond actually managed to block the Kubikiribocho with nothing more than a seemingly plain knife. Quite a feat considering that sword was known to cut through damn near anything.

The masked ninja's head shook in vexation as they swore to get to the bottom of all of this as they expertly selected a pair of deadly looking shears from the kit and reaching for the bandages covering Zabuza's face. They really were in the way, and the Oinin had a job to do-

"Stop." Zabuza suddenly growled as he seized the shears, his other hand tugging the bandages from his face. "I'll do it myself."

"Oh…" the masked ninja sighed with a mixture of respect and disappointment. "You're already awake. I expected you to be out for at least a few hours before-hey!" they objected as Zabuza ripped the first senbon from his neck. "Be careful! You could kill yourself by doing that!" the Oinin scolded disapprovingly as they lightly pushed Zabuza's hand away and gently removed the second needle.

Zabuza just grunted and painstakingly pulled himself into a sitting position. "How long do you plan on wearing that ridiculous thing anyway, Haku?"

Haku smiled nostalgically as she pulled the mask off, running a finger over the symbol of Kiri on its' forehead. "It reminds me of the old days. And besides, it was useful in getting you out of there without any trouble. If I hadn't stepped in when I did, you definitely would have been killed."

"_You_ could have killed me if your aim was even the slightest off." Zabuza pointed out gruffly. "If you _had_ to put me in a near death state, you should have aimed for a safer acupuncture point than my neck."

"My apologies, Zabuza-sama." Haku said with an apologetic bow. "But I had to make it look as realistic as possible, and the neck has fewer muscles, so it's easier to hit the acupuncture point." When Zabuza didn't rebuke her further, Haku assumed she was forgiven and continued. "Your injuries are rather debilitating, but if I can find the proper herbs, I'm confident that you'll be up and moving again in a week or so."

"Damn that Kakashi!" her master growled angrily. "Next time, I'll take his head and that blond rat's as well!"

Haku wisely kept silent as she gently patched up his wounds, allowing him to vent his anger silently until he addressed her again. "You saw what happened then? Have you figured out what Kakashi did?"

"Yes Zabuza-sama. I believe I have a strategy to deal with his Sharingan, but I'm concerned about the blond one. I haven't been able to figure how he was able to get so close to you, or what he did to allow his knife to stand up to your sword." Haku delivered her report easily enough, not displaying any of the confusion or shame she felt at the blond ninja's abilities. After all, all that mattered was that Zabuza would be prepared to defeat the Konoha ninjas next time.

* * *

_'What is it with this country's sense of architecture?'_ Naruto grumbled to himself as he studied Tazuna's home from the cover of the trees. The two story building was apparently built on a dock, stretching out over the water on numerous stilts. There seemed to be several more docks, ostensibly for boats to tie up to, though there didn't appear to be any present, as well as a windmill of some type rising from the water next to the house. "What do you think?" he murmured quietly, receiving a reply almost instantly from the foliage to his right.

"Looks clear from here, but there's no way to be certain without getting closer." Sasuke answered just as quietly as he too scanned the area. "I'm not sure I like that dock only having one way to shore. It might slow us up if we have to find another way to leave, especially if we have to carry Kakashi and Tazuna."

Naruto nodded in agreement before adding. "Still, if we booby-trap the docks and keep up our guard, we shouldn't have to worry about any non-ninja threats catching us off-guard. And if ninja _do_ show up, if they're good enough to make us abandon the house, then we should probably cut our losses and leave the old drunk."

Sasuke just snorted wryly. "You know Naruto; you're awfully skittish for a Rookie of the Year on his first mission outside the village. I never pictured you to be the type to cut and run."

"It's called being pragmatic, Sasuke." Naruto returned just as sarcastically. "It's what separates the young _living_ ninja from the idealistic _dead_ children." When they had a chance to relax, Naruto would marvel at how easily the two of them were bantering and even managing to work seamlessly together to keep their team alive on this disaster of a mission. For now though, they had a job to do. "Let's get the others and get inside before Pinky does something stupid again."

Sasuke grimaced distastefully -though whether it was because of Naruto's words or because he agreed about Sakura, Naruto couldn't tell- before nodding in agreement, and the two boys silently made their way back to the small clearing where they'd left Tazuna and Kakashi under the "guard" of Sakura. Upon arriving, Naruto silenced Tazuna with a look, while Sasuke did the same with Sakura, preventing any further complaints or arguments the two might have had as to why they didn't need to be so cautious since Zabuza was already dead.

Gathering the group up, Naruto and Sasuke led the way back to the house, and moved quickly to the front door, only for their precautions to be for nothing when Tazuna just shouldered past and entered the house, dragging Kakashi and Sakura along with him. "Tsunami? I'm home!"

There was a clatter from what Naruto assumed was the kitchen, and a woman about Kurenai's age came rushing out. "Father! You're safe!" she cried happily as she hugged Tazuna tightly.

Tazuna gave a boisterous laugh in response. "Of course I am! After all, I'm not about to let the likes of Gato and his goons stop me!"

"You're welcome." Sasuke drawled sarcastically as he and Sakura carried Kakashi in from the entryway where Tazuna had left them. "Now if you're done congratulating yourself for lying to the Hokage, Kakashi-sensei still needs to rest."

Tsunami jumped slightly, apparently just now noticing the Konoha ninjas' presence, as well as Kakashi's condition. "Oh my! What happened?! Is your sensei alright? Please, come this way and put him down in here."

* * *

As Naruto returned to the kitchen following his inspection of the house, he caught the end of Sakura's retelling of the situation, as well as Tsunami's reaction.

"Father! How could you?!" She demanded angrily as she rounded on the old man. "You put all of their lives in danger, especially Sakura-chan and Sasuke-chan! Their sensei might even die! How could you be so thoughtless!?"

Naruto found the look of contrition on the old drunk's face to be quite satisfying, though it was the twin looks of indignant mortification on Sasuke and Sakura's faces that brought a grin to his. "For what it's worth, I don't think Kakashi is in any danger." Naruto interjected as he joined them at the table. "I gave him a couple of general purpose antidotes just in case, but it looks like he just has chakra exhaustion. We'll know more when he wakes up."

That seemed to lighten the mood among the civilians and Sakura, and after a few minutes of bustling around the kitchen under Naruto's discreet but watchful eye, Tsunami began placing plates of fish and rice in front of each of Team Seven and her father, before putting a plate with a slightly larger amount of food on the table and calling out. "Inari! Dinner time!" Once that was done, she took a plate with even more meager –if possible- portions for herself.

"Inari" turned out to be a morose looking eight-year-old wearing a bucket hat. He also turned out to be the one who got the plate with larger portions, though Naruto seemed to be the only one to notice. His respect for Tsunami went up at that, drawing several favorable comparisons of the woman to Kurenai.

Shaking his head, Naruto refocused on the important matters at the time. "We should assume that there's still a threat out there, so we'll have to wait for Kakashi to wake up and –hopefully- recover enough to help us. Until then, you and your family should stay in the house, Tazuna."

"What are you talking about? I have to get to work on my bridge! I can't just stay home, not when we're so close!" Tazuna spluttered angrily. "I might have lied to you, but I'm still your client! So you have to do what I say!"

Naruto just glared at the old drunk, shutting him up, but since the man still looked rebellious, Naruto spoke very slowly, as if to a particularly stupid child. "We can either protect you and your bridge, or we can protect you and your family. Which would you prefer?" Tazuna blanched, but Naruto pressed on. "Don't bother to answer; we're not going to your bridge. Kakashi is too important to our Village to leave him when he can't defend himself. Once he wakes up, and _if_ he decides to continue helping you, you might be able to work on your bridge. Until then, you can either stay put, or you can leave on your own and take your chances."

Not bothering to wait for a reply, Naruto turned back to Sasuke. "We'll need to keep up a round the clock watch until Kakashi wakes up. Do you want the first shift, or the second?"

"Wait, what about me?" Sakura suddenly demanded with an affronted tone.

Naruto just stared at the girl, wondering if she had so quickly forgotten why her hair looked like half of it had been fed through a blender. When she kept glaring at him, he coldly stated, "I'd like to have a warning before someone slits my throat in my sleep."

He might have gone a little too far with that one, judging by the gasps from the civilians and the way her eyes filled up with hurt and anger. Hell, even _Sasuke_ frowned in distaste before breaking the silence. "I'll take the first shift." That said, the Uchiha left, followed swiftly by Tazuna and his family.

When they were alone, Naruto growled lowly. "What? Do you think I'm wrong? Do you still think your damn Academy grades mean shit out here? Or maybe I just imagined how utterly _useless_ you've been this entire mission?" Sakura flinching grew more and more pronounced with each accusation, not that Naruto particularly cared. "If you want my respect, maybe you should prove me wrong. If not, then either stay out of my way, or go get yourself killed. I'm not your fucking keeper!"

Feeling too disgusted with the kunoichi to stay in her presence any longer, Naruto headed back to Kakashi's room, planning on getting what sleep he could before taking over for Sasuke.

* * *

_'Can this mission get any worse?' _Naruto absentmindedly wondered as he ghosted throughout the darkened house, careful to avoid the slightest sound. No easy task considering how rundown the place was.

First they get stuck with an old drunk for a client, and then they get ambushed on the very first day of their mission, by a pair of missing-nin infamous enough that Kakashi knew them by _sight_. If that weren't bad enough, their conniving client admitted to lying to them, yet still had the gall to expect them to continue the mission. Even worse, his team actually _agreed._ Of course, that wasn't bad enough, oh no! Then they had to get ambushed by a Jounin who was strong enough to try to assassinate a Kage and _live_ to tell about it, not to mention nearly kill a Jounin like Kakashi. Naruto considered it a miracle that they actually survived that encounter, though that wasn't the end of their troubles, as Kakashi just _had_ to collapse afterwards.

This mission was so fucked up, if it weren't for the fact that Kakashi had nearly _died_, and Sasuke -someone Naruto pegged as rather important to Konoha- had been in very real danger, Naruto would have been sure this was all a plot by the Old Man to have him killed. The fact that Kakashi had put a stop to the fight with the Demon Brothers, and had actually _saved _him from Zabuza went a long way to dismissing those suspicions. Still, being stuck in a foreign country, fighting against an unknown enemy, with just Sasuke as his only support was far from how he thought he'd spend his first mission. And this was supposed to be a _C Rank_!

_Creak!_

The sound of a floorboard creaking sounded like an explosive tag going off as far as Naruto was concerned. Adrenaline pumping, Naruto crouched down as he honed in on the sound, before drawing a kunai and quickly scaling a wall and suspending himself from the ceiling near the stairs, wondering if someone had managed to infiltrate the house, and if so, how. The traps he and Sasuke had set up might not have stopped _any_ intruder, but they definitely should have given warning. He remained perfectly still as a shadowed form slowly made its way down the stairs. Naruto relaxed ever so slightly when he recognized the scent as Tsunami, wondering what she was doing awake so early. She stopped at the foot of the stairs and peered nervously into the predawn darkness as if trying to find something. Curious, Naruto just watched her, fairly certain that her eyes were no better in the dark than any other civilian's. What could she possibly be trying to find that she thought she could spot in the dark?

"Naruto?" Tsunami called quietly. "Naruto, are you there?"

Silently dropping down behind her, Naruto grinned as the part of him that had spent _far_ too much time around Anko had a great idea. Wiping the grin from his face, Naruto straightened and expertly approached Tsunami without making a sound. Once he was as close to her as humanly possible without actually touching her, Naruto waited until Tsunami called out once more before asking just as quietly, "What is it?"

Tsunami let out a muffled shriek as she jumped. Her hands shot to her mouth as she stumbled away from him and turned around, where she let out another gasp as she saw the waning moonlight reflecting off his eyes. Struggling to keep from cackling at her reaction, Naruto tilted his head slightly. "Is there something you needed, Tsunami?"

Apparently recognizing his voice, Tsunami started breathing again, holding her hand to her racing heart. "You scared me, Naruto! Did you _have_ to sneak up on me like that?"

Still holding back from laughing, Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? I wasn't sneaking."

Looking uncertain, Tsunami eyed him somewhat nervously –which given how close he had been standing to her without her knowledge, Naruto could admit was perhaps justified- before she stuttered, "I just wanted to let you know that I'll be starting breakfast." Tsunami paused again before hesitantly adding, "That is, if that's alright with you?"

Now feeling somewhat guilty for scaring the woman, Naruto nodded his assent with what he hoped was a pleasant smile, before stepping back into the shadows and going still. Judging from the way Tsunami's head whipped around and her nervousness visibly increased, the rather simple stealth tactic only made things worse.

* * *

The first thing Kakashi saw when he awoke was a fairly attractive and far more importantly _unknown_ woman standing over him with a grim look on her face. So to anyone who knew _anything _about shinobi, it would be no surprise that his first instinct was to kill or at least cause grievous bodily harm to her. Luckily for the mystery woman –and much to Kakashi's utter panic- he found that he could barely move and all he got for his efforts was his own weak groan.

The woman might have said something with a worried expression, but by that point Kakashi was already attempting to figure out how she was keeping him immobilized. In the blink of an eye, he'd already considered and discarded every possibility from the coarsest of rope and simplest of knots, to the finest chakra resistant ninja wire and expert bindings, from poison to the severing of the spine, even some of the more unique and little understood techniques like Tsunade's Ranshinsho. In the end, Kakashi decided that Genjutsu was the most likely culprit, and moved to counter it.

Ironically, it was this attempt that showed him the true cause for his condition. A quick attempt at a Kai resulted in absolutely nothing besides pulling another groan from him. _'Ah, so that's what it is…right, now I remember, right after that Oinin took Zabuza…fuck…' _

"Kakashi-sensei, are you alright!?" the most emotional of his students cried worriedly as she leaned over him, her eyes dancing with her fear and insecurity. The old Kakashi would have been disgusted by such an open display of emotion, and the new, lackadaisical Kakashi felt a twinge of disapproval that she wasn't presenting an absentminded, carefree front, perhaps while reading a work of literary art. _'Oh well, to each their own.' _He mentally shrugged as his eye panned around the room, taking in its occupants.

Besides Sakura and the mystery woman, Kakashi saw his other two students as well as their client. As usual, Naruto and Sasuke both maintained a relatively stoic front, though Kakashi could see the concern for him they each showed in their own ways. Tazuna on the other hand, did his level best to avoid his eye. Kakashi let out a discreet sigh of relief when none of his students appeared to be harmed other than a few bruises. And most importantly, _both _of his masks were still on, so he obviously wasn't out long enough for his students to get too tempted. He'd never live it down if he was finally unmasked by a trio of rookie Genin after all.

"I'm fine, Sakura." He reassured his sole female student with a smile. "I just have a minor case of chakra exhaustion from overusing my Sharingan. Nothing a few days of rest won't cure."

"I don't know anything about chakra exhaustion…" the woman stated hesitantly before asking. "Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

"No, I'm fine miss, and even in Konoha there isn't much more that can be done." He answered lightly, even as it took everything in Kakashi's power not to giggle at her question. _'Really, this is _just _like that scene in chapter seven with Yumi and Shiro…' _Mentally shaking his head to clear it, Kakashi continued. "I'm sorry to impose, but could you leave us alone for the time being? I need to debrief my Genin and speak to Tazuna about how we'll proceed from here."

The woman blinked unsurely, but Tazuna was the one to speak. "This is my daughter, Tsunami. She can probably tell you more about the current situation here in Nami then I can. Besides, I don't keep secrets from my daughter."

Tazuna's defiant tone garnered him quite a few looks from the rest of the room's occupants. Naruto and Sasuke both narrowed their eyes angrily, while Sakura gave him a scolding look and Tsunami –picking up on the sudden hostility being sent her father's way- looked back and forth between the ninja and her father in confusion.

For his part, Kakashi simply raised an eyebrow and gave Tazuna a measuring look. He was, after all, far too experienced to show what he was_ really_ feeling in front of so many people. That the old man would _dare_ show such an attitude to the ninja responsible for saving his worthless hide not once, but _twice_, despite the fact that he had knowingly and willingly _lied_ to not only his team, but the Hokage himself, was in a word, _infuriating_. _'Well, if that's the way he wants it, so be it.'_ Kakashi decided with just a smidgeon of vindictiveness.

"Oh, forgive me Tsunami-san." Kakashi said cheerily. "I had no idea you were so involved in the deception that was played on my students and me. Not to mention our Village. But don't worry; I'm sure you had a good reason to lie to us about the situation."

_'Take that you miserable old bastard.' _Kakashi mentally crowed as Tsunami glared furiously at her father- though her reaction didn't seem really surprised. Maybe his students had already ratted the old man out to his daughter?

Still, as much as he wanted to watch the old fool fumble through his defense, Kakashi really did need to know the situation. "So my cute little Genin, what's happened since I collapsed?" He asked cheerfully, managing to put up a veneer of unawareness about the hot water he'd just dumped Tazuna in with his daughter.

His Genin exchanged glances, before Naruto shrugged and gestured to Sasuke who quickly filled him in on what had happened. Once he'd finished, Kakashi had to admit that he was rather pleased at how his Genin handled things. They'd taken the necessary steps to protect him, and their client, and despite Tazuna's resistance to the idea of remaining away from his precious bridge, his students had done the smart thing. Perhaps when they were more experienced they could be expected to continue a mission without him, but for now they were fine.

Tuning back in to the civilians' argument, Kakashi scoffed as Tazuna attempted to placate his daughter. "Besides, everything turned out just fine! We even managed to defeat a ninja as strong as that Zabuza fellow. So we should be safe for a while. I might even be able to finish the bridge without any more interference!"

"By the way sensei, who exactly _was_ that masked ninja?" Sakura asked curiously, reminding Kakashi of more pressing concerns. Still, no reason not to turn this into an educational experience for his students.

"That mask is worn by Oinin. They're the ninja responsible for disposing of the bodies of ninja from their respective Villages, especially missing-nin. Though Kiri's Oinin are the ones renowned for their skill in the art, every Hidden Village has them, just like the Anbu." Seeing Sakura about to ask another question, Kakashi continued. "A lot of information about a Hidden Village can be revealed in a ninja's corpse you know. Secrets about their Ninjutsu, information on different chakra types, even things like what herbs are used can all be discovered from a body. For instance, if I were to die on a mission, you'd most likely need to destroy my body to keep the secrets of the Sharingan from being stolen." He was a little disappointed in Sakura's cringing reaction, or at least, how little she did to hide it. They'd have to work on that at some point. "Unfortunately, Zabuza isn't _quite_ dead yet."

"Wh-what are you talking about?! Of course he's dead! We saw him die! That kid put those spike things through his neck!" Tazuna objected with more than a hint of fear. His students hid their fear better, yet it was still there. Sad that the housewife was the only one _not_ to seem shocked to Kakashi's discerning eye.

"Well, that's the thing." Kakashi sighed. "Usually an Oinin would dispose of the body then and there. That this one didn't is very suspicious on its own. That they used a weapon that requires as much precision as senbon is even more so."

Silence reigned for a moment, before Naruto applied his own -usually paranoid- brand of logic to the scenario. "Isn't it more likely that the guy simply didn't trust us? I mean, we did outnumber him four to one. Maybe he just wanted to make sure we didn't try to kill him and take both their bodies? After all, getting the body of one of the Seven Swordsman would be a huge coup for any Hidden Village."

"Yeah, and didn't you check Zabuza to make sure he was dead anyway?" Sakura squawked angrily.

Kakashi nodded wearily before explaining. "That was probably just a temporary death state. The odds of actually killing your opponent with senbon needles without aiming for a major organ are pretty slim. An Oinin would be well trained in anatomy, and putting someone in a temporary death state is something one of them could do. So while it _is_ possible that Naruto's right about the Oinin's motives, we can't ignore the possibility that their objective was to save Zabuza, rather than kill him. Why else would they need to get involved? They could have simply waited for me to kill Zabuza, then step in and claim the body. Besides...my gut tells me that Zabuza is alive."

The room went silent once again, as each of them pondered this new development. Finally, Naruto broke the silence with a seemingly unconcerned shrug. "So we're going to leave, right? We're certainly no more obligated to remain now than we were on the road, and if Zabuza recovers before you do, we're fucked."

"You can't just leave!" Tazuna spluttered angrily. "I paid you ninja good money to protect me and my bridge!"

"No, you paid us to escort you back to Nami no Kuni and to protect you from bandits." Naruto corrected with a disdainful look. "That we continued this mission after you _admitted _to lying to us was an act of supreme generosity on our part. But since we _did_ get you back here safe and unharmed, our job is _done_. Your bridge and your country are no concern of ours."

"But you can't just _leave_!" Tazuna protested in disbelief. "The future of Nami no Kuni is at stake here! You have to help us reclaim our freedom!"

"He's right, Naruto." Sakura said fiercely, obviously taken in by the old man's fiery rhetoric. "As people with power, we have a responsibility to help the people of-"

"Shut up, Sakura." Sasuke interrupted, ignoring the girl's flinch as he continued. "Realistically speaking, we're still only up against a merchant. I doubt he has anyone stronger than Zabuza left, so we should be able to put an end to this. And if he does have any ninja left? _They _don't know that Kakashi-sensei is incapacitated. As far as our enemies are concerned, _we _have the upper hand. Besides, how far could we get with Kakashi in this condition anyway?"

Seeing Naruto about to retort, Kakashi finally decided to step in. "That's enough you three. The final decision is mine to make." Fixing a glare that demanded an honest answer on Tazuna, he continued. "How much longer until your bridge is complete?"

"Working sixteen hours a day, maybe three weeks, _if _I can keep my work crew together." Tazuna answered with a frown.

"Well, that's going to be a problem then." Kakashi mused. "I'll be up and moving in four or five days. It'll take Zabuza two weeks at the most to recover. After that, he'll likely make another attempt on your life. I seriously doubt he'll be scared off after our last encounter. You'll need to push your men harder. Zabuza will have no reason to come after you once your bridge is built. And he won't dare pursue us once we return to Hi no Kuni." It wasn't a perfect solution by any means, and Kakashi knew nothing good would come of letting either Tazuna or his Genin dwell on it for too long.

"In the meantime, you three are going to be doing some training to prepare. But for now, it smells like breakfast is about ready, so why don't you all get something to eat?" Kakashi suggested lazily, waiting until they'd begun moving before calling quietly, "Hang back a moment, Naruto."

The boy in question halted instantly, proving that Kakashi had been right in his suspicions about the blonde's hearing. "Take a seat, Naruto." Kakashi ordered, waiting until his student complied before continuing. "I saw what you did back in the forest, Naruto. You were going to let Sakura die."

He wasn't at all surprised when his student suddenly closed up, assuming the stoic mask he used when dealing with…well, pretty much everyone outside of Kurenai and those Hyuuga girls. "She was going to let herself die. That's hardly my fault, Kakashi." Naruto retorted emotionlessly. "It's not my responsibility to babysit her because of her own inadequacies. I refuse to do it in the Village, and I'm certainly not going to do it in the middle of a battle."

Kakashi resisted the urge to sigh, knowing that this was going to be an uphill struggle. "She's your teammate, Naruto. She's supposed to be able to trust you with her life. As a team you should work to cover each other's weaknesses, to help and learn from one another." Struggling to keep the anger and disgust he was feeling concealed, Kakashi put some heat into his next words. "Sakura may not be up to your standards, and she did make several mistakes, but that doesn't mean you can sentence her to death for it."

"_I_ didn't do anything to her. I just let her sink or swim." Naruto retorted with a spark of anger in his eyes. "Both you and Sasuke took the appropriate actions when I gave warning. Pinky just threw a tantrum like a child. When you and I dropped and you shouted _your_ warning, she just stood there like an idiot. Kind of like what she did when the Demon Brothers attacked us. What's the saying? Three strikes and you're out?" Naruto visibly calmed himself, before continuing. "If we're going to be assigning blame here, _I'm _the one who said we shouldn't continue this mission. I told you then and there that Sakura wasn't ready for something like this, yet _you_ decided to go ahead with it. So if it's anyone's fault that Pinky almost died –besides herself of course- then it would be you, Kakashi. Besides, I _did _save the worthless girl's life in the end."

Kakashi resisted the urge to groan angrily, wishing he was capable of getting up and beating some sense into his oldest student. He was appalled that _any _ninja of Konoha would willingly allow a comrade to die, that it was one of his own students only made it worse. Kakashi had to force himself to remember the experiences that had shaped Naruto into who he was today, and not simply go into a scathing rage at the blonde's actions. He knew that the boy was hard-pressed to sympathize or relate to his teammates for multiple reasons, ranging from the age difference, to his rather traumatizing early years, and the fact that he was something of a prodigy in Genjutsu, but the boy needed to learn that he couldn't expect _everyone_ to meet his "standards". Particularly not a first generation kunoichi fresh from the Academy.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Kakashi pressed on. "Tell me, if it had been someone like, say, Hinata Hyuuga who froze up like Sakura did; would you have let her die?"

"Don't even try to compare that little girl with Hinata!" Naruto spat angrily, the overprotective rage that Kakashi had noticed when in the company of certain people dancing beneath the surface. "Hinata is _nothing_ like her! How Pinky managed to get the Top Kunoichi title _still_ boggles the mind-"

"Exactly." Kakashi interrupted before Naruto could get too carried away. "_Sakura_ doesn't come from an ancient and powerful clan. _Sakura_ doesn't have an entire clan to turn to for training or knowledge. _Sakura_ doesn't have an overprotective brother figure going out of his way to make sure she's prepared to excel in the shinobi world. All _Sakura_ has is what the Academy gave her, and her _team_." He paused to study Naruto's reactions, pleased to notice that the boy at least looked somewhat contemplative. Maybe he could get through to Naruto after all. "You must realize that you can't expect her to be a perfect shinobi with so little training."

"…I'm not going to hold her fucking hand." Naruto muttered resentfully, no doubt angered by being proven unreasonable. "She's been incompetent since day one, and she's shown no signs of changing that. You might be right that I can't expect her to be perfect, but you also have to admit that there's no reason why I should throw my life away because of her uselessness."

Figuring this was the best he was going to get without Kurenai or Yoshino's help, Kakashi dismissed his student with a final admonishment. "I know what kind of life you've lived Naruto, but try to remember that not everyone out here is a combatant, and they're _certainly_ not all out to get you. Now, help me up and let's go get some breakfast."

* * *

_'This…is incredibly annoying…'_ Kakashi thought to himself that night as he tried in vain to ignore the rather persistent itch on his foot. A harmless enough distraction under normal circumstances. Unfortunately for Kakashi, his chakra exhaustion was still severe enough that he could barely move, making something as simple as scratching his foot damn near impossible. And the sensation, combined with the distinct if suppressed terror he naturally felt at being so helpless, was making sleep equally impossible.

"Kakashi-sensei?" a voice whispered through the darkness from near the door to his room. "Are you awake?"

Kakashi debated whether or not to answer for a moment, before deciding that he really didn't need to deal with one of his students trying to steal his mask. "What is it, Sakura?" he asked just as quietly. "Shouldn't you be asleep? You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow, and you don't want to tire yourself out even more than being on watch already will."

There was silence for a moment, before Sakura stepped inside and closed the door, leaving Kakashi feeling a little uneasy. A distant, more perverted part of him had honestly been hoping for a scenario like this to occur, though in his daydreams it was Tazuna's daughter sneaking into his room, not his sole kunoichi student. He'd dealt with a lot of affectionate kunoichi in his years, but none of them had been his student, let alone one as young as Sakura. Add in the fact that he could barely move, and you had a recipe for disaster.

Then Sakura started sniffling. "Na-Naruto says I'm not allowed on watch. H-he says I'd just get us all killed…"

Kakashi had to work hard to restrain an aggravated sigh. He'd hoped Naruto hadn't had a chance to tear into Sakura while he'd been unconscious, but that turned out to be a bust. Patting the floor next to his futon –which was about the extent of his ability to move right now- Kakashi smiled reassuringly.

"I've already had a talk with Naruto"-Kakashi decided to ignore Sakura's wince at this as he continued –"and he won't say such things anymore. He was way out of line in talking like that to you, but I hope you'll be able to forgive him for it. Naruto is…a very _complicated_ person…with very _poor_ social skills."

Sakura slumped down next to him, wiping her tears on the collar of her sleeping yukata –which Kakashi now realized must have belonged to Tsunami as it was too large for her. Not by a great margin, but enough to make Sakura seem smaller and younger than she actually was. "No…Naruto's right…I-I'm a terrible ninja…"

"You're a rookie Genin." Kakashi gently corrected her. "That's not the same thing as being a terrible ninja."

"But I froze up! Twice! If it wasn't for Naruto, I would have even been killed…" Sakura objected quietly through her tears. "I've been worse than useless, I've been a liability!"

"Yes, you froze up." Kakashi agreed. "But didn't you move to protect Tazuna first? You were fighting in a real battle for the first time, and reacted as your training dictated by protecting Tazuna. Yes, you could have done more than you did, but like when we were attacked by Zabuza, you spent too much time thinking, and not enough relying on your training." Seeing Sakura deflate at his words, Kakashi hurried to continue. "You made a mistake, Sakura. But that doesn't make you a liability. After all, if _you're_ a liability, what does that make me?"

Sakura's head jerked up as she stared at him in shock. "B-but you're only like this because you fought Zabuza! Any other time you'd be really strong!"

Kakashi nodded sagely. "True, but I'm currently useless to the mission. There are more than one Hidden Village where being like this would be a crime punishable by death." Sakura stared at him in shocked disbelief at this, which Kakashi actually found somewhat pleasing. It was good to see that at least _one _of his students was taking his teaching on teamwork to heart. "You're young, Sakura…" Kakashi continued gently. "Even when you're my age, you'll make mistakes. That's part of being human. I promise, so long as you learn from your mistakes, you'll never be a terrible ninja."

Sakura nodded halfheartedly before seeming to come up with another argument for her perceived failures. "But what about Naruto and Sasuke? I'm nothing like them and they don't screw up like I do."

"Those two are freaks." Kakashi deadpanned, gaining a slightly nervous giggle from his student. "They're not the kind of people normal Genin should compare themselves to- at least, not as anything other than a goal to reach. But despite that, they're still human, and they are still young. They make mistakes just the same as everyone else."

Sakura seemed to mull that over, which was good because Kakashi was still pretty new to this whole teaching thing himself. Still, he knew how to read people, and the Sakura before him was a mixture of two things. A battered sense of worth and fear. Kakashi let Sakura think on his words for a moment, before asking. "So, why did you need to talk to me? I'm sure you didn't come here just to beat yourself up about how things have been so far?"

Sakura stiffened up, and suddenly was looking everywhere but at him, a look of shame now in her eyes. "I…I couldn't sleep." She slowly confessed. "Every time I close my eyes, I see Zabuza coming at me…so I…I was wondering…since Naruto and Sasuke don't want me around…could I sleep with you?"

Kakashi felt his heart stop and immediately went into panic mode as his uneasiness over Sakura's sneaking into his room came crashing back. "…I don't think that would be a good idea, Sakura. Even setting aside our respective ages, it wouldn't really be proper for a sensei and student to do something like that. I know you're shaken up about what's happened, but that just wouldn't be appropriate."

Sakura stared at him in confusion for a moment before her eyes suddenly went wide and her face turned red. "You pervert!" she hissed angrily, clueing Kakashi in to the fact that the redness of her face was _not_ due to blushing. "That's not what I meant you…you…you disgusting old man!"

How she was able to make her words feel like a sledgehammer bashing into him without speaking above a whisper, Kakashi would never know. And he didn't really have the time to wonder as he hurriedly began to backtrack.

In the end, Kakashi allowed Sakura to curl up on his futon with him, though they _both_ insisted that she bring another blanket in so that Sakura could lay under it while remaining _above_ Kakashi's blanket, allowing them both to feel comfortably separate from each other, even as Sakura curled up next to him and fell into a deep sleep, seemingly comforted by his presence.

As Kakashi watched her sleep, he couldn't help but be reminded that kunoichi or not, Sakura was _still_ just a twelve year old child. A child far away from home and likely sleeping in a stranger's house for the first time. And like any frightened child, Sakura wanted to be comforted and reassured, hence the little girl curled up against his side.

Kakashi actually felt like an idiot now for panicking like he did when he heard her request to sleep in his room. Although, as he looked down at her sleeping face, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder if this was what it felt like to be a parent? Well, that and fuming about the fact that he was now undoubtedly closer to the one student he had previously had no real attachment to compared to his sensei's son or his best friend's last living –and loyal- relative, both of whom acted like they'd be just fine if they never saw him outside of training and missions.

Grumbling to himself, Kakashi made himself as comfortable as he could without waking Sakura before dropping off to sleep with practiced ease…just to have his eye snap back open in irritation. _'God damn itch…'_

* * *

"Tree climbing?" Sasuke's doubt filled voice, quickly followed by a skeptical glance which didn't affect Kakashi in the slightest. "That's your idea of training?"

"How is climbing trees going to help us, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, running a hand through her recently cut hair as she peered up at the tree in front of her in confusion.

Kakashi wanted to sigh; he wanted to wince in pain, but most of all he wished he had gotten around to teaching them this already. "You're not going to be climbing the trees with your hands. You're going to be climbing them with your feet." He pointed down carefully at his own feet around the crutches under his arms, making sure not to unbalance himself.

Glancing over at his other student, he saw Naruto frown as he eyed his teammates, staring at one in disappointment and barely contained disgust at the other. Not quite the reaction he'd hoped from the boy after their earlier conversation.

"How exactly are we supposed to do that?" Sasuke inquired curiously as he looked speculatively between Naruto, Kakashi and the surrounding trees. "And more importantly, what good will that do us against Zabuza?"

"Like this." Kakashi answered cheerfully as he formed a ram seal, channeling what little of his chakra he could through his strained system, before placing one foot carefully onto the tree, then hobbling himself upward, crutches and all, up the tree and to the nearest branch. Standing upside down and staring at his team, Kakashi studied his students various reactions. Sakura looked a mixture of disbelief and amazement, while Sasuke looked suitably impressed and interested. In fact, Kakashi could almost see the gears spinning in the Uchiha's head as he tried to figure out how to copy Kakashi's actions. Naruto wasn't even watching, instead scanning the surrounding forest suspiciously. If that meant what he thought it meant, then Kakashi knew he was going to have a problem.

"Focus your Chakra into the bottom of your feet and balance it there." Kakashi explained carefully. It wouldn't do for one of his cute little Genin to fall off a tree when he was too weak to catch them. "Too little, and you slide right off. Too much, and you get forced away from the tree instead of gripping it. As for how this will help, not only will you gain a useful skill, it will also improve your chakra control and allow you to waste less chakra when fighting, while using what chakra you have more efficiently." With that done, he carefully drew a trio of kunai and tossed them to the ground at his students' feet. "Use these to mark how high you can get on the trees, and then work on improving. Oh, and make sure to get a running start at first until you get the hang of it."

Carefully hobbling back down, Kakashi quietly sighed in relief and relaxed as much as possible. _'God I hate charka exhaustion.' _He thought to himself as he watched his students' efforts. Sasuke had made it about a dozen feet up before he lost his focus and went sailing off the tree. Luckily, he controlled his fall with a midair spin, tucking into a ball till he nearly hit the ground, where he landed without any problems.

"Hey, this is pretty easy!" Sakura called out chirpily, drawing his attention. His sole female student had made it all the way to one of the highest branches capable of supporting her weight.

"Good job, Sakura!" Kakashi drawled happily, hoping to boost the girl's spirits and self-confidence a little. "It seems like you're something of a natural at chakra control. Well done!" Granted, compared to her teammates' chakra levels, she might as well have been a civilian, but he knew he'd never turn her into a competent kunoichi if he couldn't keep her sense of worth from collapsing.

"Kakashi." Naruto called out from higher up, sitting back against the trunk with one leg hanging off the branch, resting his elbow on the knee of the other. "Did you have anything else for me? Or should I take the old drunk to his precious bridge?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow in consideration, while inside he was cursing his luck. While he'd figured that Naruto had to have decent chakra control in order to perform Genjutsu as well as he did –never mind creating his own as a child- this _did_ put a crimp in his plans. Oh well, nothing for it but to press on. "Let me get them started first, and then I'll find you some place to work on your own." Kakashi waved lightly in Naruto's direction, catching the considering look on Sasuke's face, and the indignation on Sakura's.

"Why does _he_ get special training?" Sakura asked angrily, no doubt offended that Naruto was receiving something that she and Sasuke were not.

"He's not." Kakashi answered with a dismissive wave. "His guardian is a Jounin who's well known for her great skill in Genjutsu. I imagine Kurenai taught you this exercise some time ago, right Naruto?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't let me join the Academy until I had this down." Naruto agreed easily. "I can already do the water walking exercise as well, if that was your plan."

Kakashi nodded, already figuring that would be the case. "Did Kurenai teach you that as well?"

Naruto's full body flinch was noticeable to everyone. "No, Anko did."

"Oh!" Kakashi exclaimed worriedly and feeling more than a little pity for his student. "That must have been…rough. Do…do you want to talk about it? I have some experience with Anko." When Naruto just shuddered and shook his head, Kakashi decided to continue as if nothing had happened. "Anyways, let's get them started first before I take you practicing, Naruto." Sakura was about to protest again, but the sound of Sasuke running up his tree again seemed to switch her from incredulous to fixated on her crush. "You should keep working on it as well, Sakura. The key is to get so you can use this technique on any solid surface instinctively. You're well on the way though, and you have a talent for chakra control. I'm sure you'll have it down in no time." Sakura smiled brightly at his praise, and then quickly began running up and down her tree.

Hobbling away after gesturing for Naruto to head back to the house, he called back over his shoulder. "Both of you should keep training till you come close to chakra exhaustion. I'll be back in a little while to check on your progress."

* * *

Naruto followed Kakashi out of the clearing in silence, waiting until they were about halfway back to Tazuna's house before speaking. "So what are you going to teach me, sensei?"

Kakashi chuckled sheepishly before answering. "Well, there's really nothing I can teach you now. The Kinobori no Waza is about the only thing anyone could be expected to learn in so little time, except for maybe the Suimen Hokou no Waza if you were good enough. You'd need the Sharingan to learn anything else of value so quickly, and even then, I don't have the chakra to demonstrate any more techniques." Kakashi stopped and turned to face him before continuing. "Honestly, I was only doing this to boost the team's morale, and give you some confidence that you'll survive the coming conflict. I'd hoped you hadn't been taught these exercises yet, though in hindsight that seems pretty foolish of me."

Naruto frowned as he considered the Jounin's words. It was more than a little disappointing that Kakashi wouldn't be teaching him anything right now, especially after he'd gotten his hopes up over this "training". Although, given Kakashi's weakened condition, Naruto supposed he should have foreseen this. Speaking of which… "Why didn't you use your Sharingan to tell you all this then? You said you can see the future with it, right?"

"Maa, who knows… maybe I can." Kakashi mused with a nonchalant shrug. "I don't really know myself, though I suppose it's possible."

Naruto waited for an explanation, yet Kakashi just stared back at him. "How can you _not_ know? That _is_ a Sharingan eye right? It's a pretty straightforward question, can you see the future or not?"

"It's not that simple Naruto." Kakashi admonished as he began limping back towards the house. "I wasn't born with this eye you know. In fact, I spent the first half of my life without it, and I doubt I've learned all of its secrets just yet." Naruto frowned in confusion, only to be silenced by a glance from Kakashi. "You probably don't remember it due to your age, but I fought alongside many of the Uchiha when the clan still existed, and they always seemed to be pulling a new, powerful ability out of thin air whenever the occasion called for it. Honestly, I'm surprised they weren't running the Village after the Senju clan faded away."

"That doesn't make any sense." Naruto objected as they entered Tazuna's house. "If they were so powerful, how'd they get wiped out in a single night?"

Kakashi just shrugged again as he lowered himself into a chair with a sigh. "I couldn't tell you. I was out of the Village that night, and by the time I'd returned, they'd already held the funerals and memorial services for the clan."

Naruto frowned for a moment, before glancing at Kakashi as another question that had been bothering him returned. For his part, Kakashi seemed content to let him ponder whatever it was that as bothering him without interruption. After a few moments of silence, Naruto finally just had to ask. "Kakashi," Naruto began slowly, for once not wanting to come across as too confrontational. "Why _did_ we continue this mission?"

Kakashi returned his stare for a moment before letting out another sigh. "…Hubris Naruto, hubris."

"Wha-" Naruto began in surprise before Kakashi continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.

"When one gets to be my age and skill, it becomes very easy to develop a certain degree of arrogance. Arrogance which, however well deserved, can lead one to forget that _nothing_ is certain in this world. After we faced the Demon Brothers, I assumed that we would run into more shinobi, and I believed it a strong possibility that at least one of those shinobi would be a Jounin. I also believed that I would easily be able to handle any such Jounin." Kakashi paused to shuffle in his seat slightly before continuing. "What you have to understand about me in order to understand my decision Naruto, it that in Konoha there are only a handful whose abilities surpass my own. The Sandaime, Danzo Shimura, Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin, and perhaps Maito Gai are the only ones that I can say with certainty surpass me, with perhaps a few more who can match me. And while there are others in this world whose abilities are beyond my own, none of them are really the type to be sent after a simple bridge builder." Kakashi sighed once again. "I can't be certain which of us is the stronger between Zabuza and me, but I guarantee you, neither of us expected to meet the other here. As one of the Seven Swordsmen, Zabuza would never be given such a simple mission as assassinating Tazuna. And as "Kopi Ninja Kakashi", no one would ever expect _me_ to be assigned the mission of guarding someone as unimportant as Tazuna. But our _circumstances_ allowed it to happen anyway. Zabuza became a missing-nin, and I became a Jounin-sensei, both acts which led us here." Kakashi shook his head ruefully. "But I'm starting to ramble now. The point is, I decided to continue this mission because at the time, I was certain that at worst, _I_ could easily complete it by myself. So here we are."

Naruto stared at Kakashi in surprise, honestly unsure how to respond. He had assumed that Kakashi had decided to continue the mission out of guilt from Tazuna's sob story, or out some misplaced sense of righteousness. It had never occurred to him that Kakashi might have simply gotten too cocky for his own good.

"Excuse me, Kakashi-sensei?" Tsunami interrupted them hesitantly as she entered the room. "I was wondering if it would be alright if I went into town? I don't have the supplies here to feed you and your team, so I need to get to the market and try to gather some food."

"Of course, Tsunami-san." Kakashi agreed easily before gesturing to him. "We'll try to keep from disturbing your daily lives too much, but just the same, Naruto will go with you for your protection. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to go straight to the market and back as well."

Naruto's eyes lit up at the possibility of gathering some intel on the situation. He disliked making uninformed decisions, and if he _was _going to betray Tazuna, he'd like to have a better grasp of what exactly was going on. And it would be good to know just how much sway Gato had over the islands from his own investigations, and not just relying on what little Tazuna told them.

Which was how he eventually found himself following Tsunami through the single, most rundown city he'd ever seen. Granted, it was the first "city" he'd ever seen, but come on. The town was bisected by a river, which even now was used to ferry people and supplies throughout the town. The main road into the small city was dotted with boarded up buildings and was littered with trash. There was a large marketplace, filled to the brim with shops and stands, while the streets were packed. The problem was, most of the stores had little to offer, and what little they did was outrageously expensive. Even worse, the crowds in the market were probably fifty percent beggars and thirty percent thieves, with the rest being the few actual shoppers. He'd caught more than one set of shady eyes examining Tsunami, only to be scared off by a single glance from Naruto which was just as strange, seeing as how Naruto didn't do anything other than _look _at them. No glares, no scowls, not even a frown, yet anytime one of the would-be thieves saw him looking at them; they quickly shrank away from him.

In fact, Naruto was probably the only male in sight that walked upright, rather than slumping dejectedly or scurrying through the nearby alleys. The entire city fairly reeked of unwashed bodies and despair, and Naruto had caught sight of more than one starved looking individual sitting wherever they could find room. What he'd yet to see was any sign of a form of a police force, either from the Daimyo or this Gato. "Odd." Naruto muttered to himself suspiciously. "What's with this city?"

"It wasn't always like this." Tsunami replied with a tinge of depression. "This used to be a thriving city, full of happy, proud people. But ever since Gato came…everyone's just…lost hope. That's why father is trying to build his bridge. He believes it will give the people a symbol to rally behind, and help them reclaim their courage…that if he shows them Gato can be opposed without dying, they'll be willing to stand up to him."

Naruto contemplated that for a second and glanced at the crowds around them skeptically before looking back to her. "What do you believe?" he asked lowly, honestly curious as to what those closest to Tazuna truly thought about his "great struggle".

Tsunami stopped dead, and Naruto absentmindedly stepped up next to her, studying her out of the corner of his eye while keeping watch on the crowd that made sure to part and maintain a distance from them. She looked torn, depressed, and above all, tired. Yet there was a subtle determination to her as well, which struck a chord with him, once again being reminded of Kurenai. "I want to believe he's right…" Tsunami murmured quietly. "I want to have his faith in the people of this country, but…but my father is a coward. And so are the people of this country."

That certainly got his attention. "What do you mean? He seems to think that he's spearheading the fight against Gato. And he _is_ putting his life on the line to build that bridge of his."

Tsunami just shook her head and began moving through the crowd again, leaving Naruto no choice but to follow with a frown. If Tazuna's own daughter had no faith in him…it begged the question of just why Naruto should help the old bastard stay alive. She eventually led him out of the market and over to a stretch of land overlooking where the river flowed out into the sea. Once there, she sat on a stone bench and stared down at a group of warehouses below.

Curious, Naruto stepped up behind her and gazed at the buildings in question, just able to make out the Gato Corp. logos on them. They were surrounded by a simple chain linked fence, which was patrolled on the inside by armed men of various nationalities and arms. No doubt these were the "thugs" that Tazuna had mentioned, though they seemed more like veteran mercenaries than the "thugs" Tazuna made them out to be. And oddly enough, despite the blockade that Gato had supposedly imposed, the warehouses seemed to be doing steady business with several merchant ships in the harbor, bringing in supplies and merchandise from some and sending out local goods and merchandise to others.

"They killed my husband down there." Tsunami suddenly spoke up hoarsely, obviously on the verge of tears. "I was at home when it happened, but father and Inari were there…along with most of the people in this city." She paused to take a shaky breath and struggled to compose herself before continuing. "This was before the blockade…before father's bridge. Gato had summoned the people to witness his execution. He said that Kaiza had been committing terrorist acts against his company, and he was to be publically executed for his crimes with the blessing of the Daimyo."

Naruto stood there awkwardly as she broke down into sobs, unsure of what to do to comfort the older woman. It wasn't like he had any experience he could fall back on, but even he knew he should probably do _something_. The problem was, he doubted she'd be soothed by him ruffling her hair, or any of the things he'd do if it were Hinata or Hanabi.

Glancing around one more time, Naruto carefully laid a hand on her shoulder and gave what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze. Tsunami didn't really react to it other than reaching up and laying a hand on his own, and continued to cry for several more minutes.

Thankfully for Naruto's increasing sense of awkwardness, she eventually calmed down enough to continue her story. "I'm sorry, it is just that I've never really had a chance to grieve, what with trying to take care of Inari and-"

"It's alright," Naruto interrupted as gently as he could, feeling his respect for the woman sky rocket. That she would bury her own grief and pain for the sake of her son struck a chord within him that he couldn't quite identify, though it didn't feel like a bad thing. At the same time, Naruto was incredibly irritated that she would do so for the sake of a gloomy, whiney little brat like Inari. The boy was obviously suffering, presumably from the loss of his father, but that didn't forgive him for showing no concern for the condition of his mother. The little bastard didn't even _try_ to make things easier for Tsunami, instead acting as if his pain was all the mattered. "We don't need to be back anytime soon. Please, take your time."

After all, he could always come back later tonight to scout things out. Though her story did raise some questions… For instance, given the amount of trading that Gato seemed to still be doing, in spite of his blockade, Naruto had to wonder if the blockade was a punishment on the people of Nami for Tazuna's defiance, rather than part of some diabolical scheme.

That his son-in-law had been executed for "crimes against Gato Corp." and that his own daughter called him a coward…well, it didn't exactly match up with the tales Tazuna had been telling. It certainly didn't paint him as the brave patriot standing up for his country.

Tsunami nodded, but while tears continued to trail down her cheeks, she began her story again. "Father and Kaiza never did like Gato. They were always going on about how he was driving good, honest folk out of business…but they always said the same about the Daimyo and his taxes too…so I never thought too much about it. But I asked around about that day, and everyone told me the same thing. Gato only had a handful of men with him when they executed Kaiza, and there were hundreds of people watching…people we knew, people who were our friends, who looked up to Kaiza." She snorted before continuing. "Father had always been going around calling Kaiza the "Hero of Nami" because of this crazy, reckless thing Kaiza did during a storm a few years back! Yet not one of them spoke out against Gato that day. Not one of them did anything to try to stop him, to save Kaiza. They didn't even _say _anything!" Tsunami all but shouted in fury as she squeezed his hand fiercely. "My father and hundreds of our people stood there against seven men and they just let my husband die. That's why they're cowards. They could have overrun Gato and his men, and saved my husband by sheer numbers, and they didn't even try!" she trailed off into hiccupping sobs.

Naruto stood there, nearly overwhelmed by a gut-wrenching guilt. Because if what she said was true, then he didn't see any other option left. He'd have to kill the old drunk, or at least, allow for him to be killed. It seemed obvious now that Tazuna and his people weren't going to fight back no matter what Gato did to them. Hell, building that damned bridge _was_ their idea of fighting back. And all they'd accomplished was driving their people into poverty and depression. No, as much as it pained him to contemplate a course of action that would no doubt bring even more pain to this woman, Tazuna had to die. Hell, if the old drunk really _had_ stood by and watched the husband she so obviously loved being killed without lifting a finger, than she was probably better off without him.

Although, he'd have to see if he couldn't make sure she and Inari were taken care of once it was all said and done. He did have a rather large amount of cash that he carried with him, but that wouldn't last long with Nami no Kuni's current economy… Then again, Gato had to have some kind of plan for after he achieved total control. Surely a man as business savvy as Gato was reputed to be wouldn't crush one of his own capita sources. He must have various reconstruction projects planned to repair and boost his profits from the small nation. Once Tazuna was dead, there'd no longer be any point to the blockade. Gato could assume complete control of Nami no Kuni and everything would be better for Tsunami and her people.

Naruto resisted the urge to sigh as he glanced at the still shaking woman. God he hoped he was right about this Gato character. He didn't hold any delusions that she'd ever forgive him if she knew he was responsible for the death of her father. Hell, he was sure _he'd_ never forgive himself for bringing Tsunami such pain. But he had to accept the simple fact that a millionaire with such political and economic power that he could seize control of an _entire_ country would be far more useful to Naruto and his cause, than a Daimyo who couldn't even keep control of said country. _'Damn it…gathering support against the Old Man wasn't supposed to be so…guilt inspiring.' _

Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, Naruto tightened his grip on her shoulder in warning, as he gazed down the street.

"Naruto?" Tsunami looked up at him worriedly, tensing up when a man walked around the corner and began swaggering towards them. Naruto studied the man as he approached, subtly palming a kunai as he drew closer. The man wore a well-worn, dark colored outfit though it was his hair style that drew the eye. His brown hair was gathered in four roll like buns, with two long bangs framing his face. Oddly enough, the guy was wearing a maroon cloth across his eyes with holes cut for the eyes, which did little –if anything- to conceal his identity. And judging by the metal staff he was carrying in one hand, he was a mercenary. And in this country, that meant he was working for Gato.

"Hey there, baby!" the man leered as he drew closer, the fumes of alcohol so strong on his breath that even Tsunami could smell it from where they were. "What do you say you and me go out for some fun?" Tsunami didn't answer except to glance up at Naruto anxiously. Something the mercenary actually noticed, his expression darkening. "What, you'd rather fuck this _boy_ when you could have a man?! Why don't you jusy come wit-" As soon as the man began reaching out as if to grab her, Naruto moved, swinging around behind the man, gripping his wrist and twisting sharply, forcing him to release his staff. "Bast-" was as far as the man got before Naruto grabbed the base of his head and slammed his skull into the stone bench with a loud crack. A crack that Naruto doubted came from the bench. The man went limp instantly, and Naruto tugged him back and shoved him down the slope towards the river.

He waited until the man rolled into the water and didn't surface before gently taking a shocked Tsunami by the shoulders and ushered her down the street. "We should be getting back, Tsunami. But I promise you, peace will return to your country."

Tsunami blinked at him, before relaxing into him slightly. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto felt another spike of guilt at her gratitude. _'I'm sorry, Tsunami…' _he wanted to say, yet he just nodded and led her away. _'Now, if I was Gato, where would I hang out…' _he pondered determinedly.

* * *

Haku hummed softly to herself as she finished checking on Zabuza-sama's injuries before gently covering him with a blanket. Unable to resist, she tucked him in with a smile.

"Stop treating me like a child." Her master growled irritably as he tossed and turned just enough to render her efforts useless. "Either do something to speed up my recovery, or leave me be."

"Forgive me, Zabuza-sama." She murmured with downcast eyes and bowed head. Though she tried to shrug it off, Haku couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by his words. Couldn't he see she was just trying to take care of him? Zabuza-sama was everything to her. He'd given her a purpose in life, a reason to go on living. He'd saved her from the streets, and when he learned about her filthy blood, he'd embraced it gladly. Yet for all of that, Zabuza could be an incredibly hurtful man, even thoughtlessly cruel at times. And it wasn't like he was a fount of emotional support at the best of times either.

Still, if there was one thing she had mastered, it was keeping up a mask. For whatever reason, Haku was quite skilled at acting, almost to the point of having three very distinct personalities. One being her actual self, another being the epitome kunoichi which she utilized whenever she needed to kill, and the other as a simple village girl. That one in particular was her specialty, able to take everything about being a kunoichi, from the near silent way she walked to her reflexes, and while not quite sealing it away, she was able to push them to the background of her thoughts, allowing her to even react like a civilian would, with no signs of her true abilities. This personality was nothing short of perfect, which she used often to gather information for Zabuza-sama, or when they needed supplies that could only be had in larger settlements where Kiri ninja of any standing –let alone one with Zabuza's infamy- would attract immediate and unwanted attention. And given Zabuza's view on tools being "overly emotional" Haku put her abilities to use quite often to present an ever calm façade around her master, keeping any hurt or guilt she might feel at their actions since leaving Kiri from surfacing. And perhaps even more importantly, she kept any signs of the daydreams or fantasies she had about how different her life would be if she hadn't been born with tainted blood or if she never became a kunoichi, from showing.

Despite how loyal she was to Zabuza-sama, a part of her couldn't help but wonder if she would have ever done any of the things that the girls in her home village took for granted. Would she have had friends to gossip with and tease? Would she have met a boy that she fancied and subtly pursued him like in the stories her mother had told her about her father? Or what if everything had remained the same, with the exception of the Yondaime Mizukage _not_ being a raving lunatic? Would Zabuza-sama have remained a cornerstone of Kiri as one of the few remaining Seven Swordsmen? And as his student, would she have risen to a position of respect and honor among her fellow shinobi? Would she have possibly even become the Mizukage one day?

Haku sighed internally. There were so many things that _could _have happened, so many _what ifs_- Haku tensed at the unfortunately familiar sound of a cane striking the floor as an oily voice sneered from the room's entrance. "I heard that you had some trouble killing that stupid old man." Haku's hair wanted to stand on end as she held back the urge to attack the man at the implied tone. "I never thought one of the so-called Shinobigatana Shichinin Shu would have problems killing an old man of all people."

Haku turned and narrowed her eyes slightly at the short man that Zabuza-sama found himself working for. The man was dressed in a dark business suit, his hair spiked upwards in back, framing his thinning hairline, though the moustache made him all the more distasteful to look at. The small smoked glasses balanced on his nose covered his beady eyes, adding an almost mouse-like look, and the cane he carried wasn't for any problem with his legs so much as the greasy man thought it somehow improved his stature.

She wanted to curse herself for not sensing someone entering their hideout, especially someone as _disgusting_ as Gato.

"You're supposed to be some kind of legendary assassin, yet now look at you! You're all but lying on your death bed." Gato tsked mockingly as he walked over toward the resting Zabuza, two hired mercenaries with katana following him at a respectful distance.

Haku kept her mask on, giving away none of the distaste she felt at the old man's presence, let alone how he arrogantly approached her master.

"After such a shitty-not to mention failed! - job, I'm half tempted to take my money and leave you here to die." Gato sneered with a sickening smile on his face as he leered at her. "Although, if you were to offer me some form of…compensation, I just might be willing to give you a second chance."

Haku stiffened in outrage. This perverse little man was eyeing her as if she were some Terumi hussy! She'd never liked killing –in fact, she hated it no matter how necessary it was- but if she was given the chance, she wouldn't hesitate to kill this disgusting little man!

Zabuza-sama continued to lay on the bed, covered up to his chest, his facial bandages still wrapped snugly on his face to hide his identity. Eyes closed, Zabuza was dead to the world, and to Gato's threats and innuendos.

Gato scowled angrily at being ignored and reached for Zabuza, only to have Haku to angrily grab hold of his wrist in a tight grip, just before snapping it cleanly. Gato yelled out in pain, trying futilely to wrench his arm from her grip, causing himself even more pain in the process. "You will not touch Zabuza-sama with your filthy hands, _merchant_." Haku hissed threateningly, her eyes narrowed in hatred at the _thing_ dressed as a man.

The bodyguards reached for their blades, only for Gato to be tossed into them, preventing them from drawing their weapons as they struggled to get out from underneath their employer.

"Get out." Haku uttered in a dangerously soft tone, daring them to draw their weapons as she held several handfuls of senbon in her fingers. She'd only need one for each of them, but despite being as long as knives and as thick as her fingers; senbon needles usually weren't very intimidating on their own.

"You bitch!" Gato hissed as he stood carefully, holding his broken arm in his hand as he glared venomously at Haku. "Tell your master that he has one last chance to succeed, or I'll turn you both over to the Oinin of Kiri for the reward they have on your heads!" Gato pushed roughly between the two samurai that looked like they were going to draw their weapons anyway, before they abruptly turned and left with their employer.

"I could have handled them myself." Zabuza growled from the bed, his hand coming out from under the sheets holding an oversized kunai that was more of a short sword than a throwing knife.

"It is my place to watch over you as you recover." Haku replied gently as she retook a submissive stance next to Zabuza's bed, hands crossed in front of her and head down as she stood near him.

"I'll tell you what your place is. You are to follow my orders." Zabuza growled as his hand slipped from the handle of the weapon, still too weak to wield it for more than a moment or two.

"Of course, my apologies Zabuza-sama." Haku replied quietly, hiding her sadness as well as she could.

"Isn't there anything you can do to speed up my recovery?" Zabuza somehow managed to growl and yawn at the same time.

Haku tilted her head in thought as she answered. "There are certain herbs that could work, though it would require quite a few days just to find the amount needed to make any meaningful progress that wouldn't sacrifice your reflexes."

"I don't care if you have to go out and stay out all night looking for herbs, just do it!" Zabuza ordered harshly even as his eyes began to droop tiredly once more.

Haku reflexively twitched toward the door at Zabuza's order before bowing to him and heading for the exit of the room. Despite how attuned she was to Zabuza, Haku somehow managed to miss the look of self-admonishment on his face and his muttered "…don't blame the tools for the wielder's failures…"

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After returning to the house with Tsunami, Naruto gave Kakashi an abridged report of the situation in the city –leaving both Tsunami's story, and the dead mercenary out of it- before volunteering to check on Sasuke and Sakura's progress. Part of him was genuinely curious as to their progress, as for all her faults, that Sakura had gotten it down on her first try _was_ rather impressive. But for the most part, he just wanted to get away from watching eyes so he could get in some training of his own. And he really wasn't in the mood to put up with Inari right now either.

Stepping quickly through the forest, Naruto marveled at how different it was from the forests of Konoha. More specifically, how much _smaller_ the trees were compared to the ones back home. It made him wonder if the stories about the Shodai Hokage were true. He'd never put much stock in those tales before, but he was at a loss to explain why the trees of Nami no Kuni –and indeed, a great portion of the forests of Hi no Kuni they'd passed through- were so much smaller. _'I'll have to look into that when we get back.'_ Naruto thought as he ghosted up to the edge of the clearing the rest of Team Seven was using to train.

Sasuke was crouched down at the foot of his tree, breathing hard, but still looking ready to give the exercise another try. Judging by the slash marks, he'd been making fairly steady progress, scaling a little over five feet higher than his first attempt. Far better than Naruto's own initial attempts. _'Looks like the Uchiha were pretty talented after all. Makes you wonder why he was never able to beat me when the rest of the clan was still alive…'_

Shrugging to himself, he glanced over to where Sakura was laying slumped against her own tree. She was obviously finished for the day, breathing so hard she was almost hyperventilating. _'Still, I suppose it's a good sign that she was willing to push herself this far. Maybe she won't be useless forever…'_ Naruto reluctantly admitted to himself as he walked away. On the one hand, this was a good thing, both for Sakura herself, and for the team as a whole. If Sakura was able to carry her own weight, they might be able to count on her, or at the very least, they wouldn't need to babysit her. On the other hand, if she became a competent kunoichi, Kakashi would surely rub his face in it. Naruto could see easily imagine the smug look on the bastard's…eye area? Whatever, the point is, Kakashi would be insufferable about the whole thing.

Shaking his head, Naruto left the clearing as silently as he had arrived. If he'd hung around a little longer, he might have been treated to the sight of Sasuke actually asking Sakura of all people for advice.

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**Translations:**

Ranshinsho=Body Pathway Derangement, the technique Tsunade used on Kabuto

Did I miss any?

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**AN: **

And that is chapter twenty-two. Not too happy with most of the Haku pov scenes, or Kakashi confronting Naruto. And Kakashi has every right to be angry with Naruto, because letting a comrade die because you don't like them personally is _not _acceptable. _Ever_. And despite what it might seem like, I'm not trying to bash Sakura. Naruto just has a poor opinion of her. In point of fact, after six years in the military, I've yet to meet a soldier fresh out of Basic Training that wasn't either incompetent, or had their head full of dreams. A lot like Sakura at this point. Tsunami's story however is something that always bugged me. If you actually go back and look at the scene where Kaiza is executed, there are hundreds of people there, standing outside a simple chain-link fence. No barbed wire or anything like that. And inside the fence, there's almost no one. If the people in that crowd _really_ cared about Kaiza, saving him would have been _child's play_. They wouldn't have even needed to kill anyone. I mean, sure you could make the claim of herd mentality or whatever you want to call it, but to me, if "I was just following orders" isn't an acceptable defense, then neither is "but no one else tried to stop it". Anyway, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.

Peace, Vaan.


	24. Chapter 23

**Words-202699, Chapters-24, Reviews-880, Hits-527052, C2s-138, Favs-1585, Alerts-1609**

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**AN:** Little shorter than I usually write -and that actually bugs me- and I'm a bit behind the update schedule. Even worse, I don't like this chapter much at all. Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on, then left untouched for months before I finally got back to working on it again. In point of fact, it might finally be time for me to bite the bullet and start looking for new betas/sounding boards. The two I had either have real world commitments to deal with, or I have a hell of a hard time getting in touch with. Anyway, don't forget to check out my other stories and challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 23 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**Chapter Twenty-three**

Haku moved through the early morning forest as quietly as she could, taking great care to avoid any human contact lest they end up being one of Gato's men. Upsetting Gato –not to mention breaking his arm- had been more than worth it just for the satisfaction of putting that rat in his place. Killing his men when their hands inevitably strayed however, would only come back and place Zabuza-sama in danger. So she needed to avoid the patrols, almost as much as she needed those herbs for Zabuza.

To make matters worse, Haku was exhausted, mostly from sitting up next to Zabuza all night, but also from the constant state of alertness she'd been forced to keep up since the death of the Demon Brothers and Zabuza's injuries. Haku couldn't allow herself to rest easy while she was the only thing standing between Zabuza and his many enemies. She didn't want to lose Zabuza, as she would have nothing left then. So until he could defend himself, she would have to protect him at all costs, even if it meant staying up long hours into the early morning light.

She yawned, placing a hand over her mouth as she spotted a clearing in the distance and made her way towards it. Almost as if drawn to the sound, a bird fluttered down to perch on her shoulder, chirping far too cheerfully for Haku's mood. Still, her irritation bled away as she gazed at the creature fondly, carefully reaching up to stroke the bird's head with a finger. For whatever reason, small animals like birds and rabbits had always been strangely affectionate with Haku and her mother. It made her wonder if her own children would have such an adorable affinity for them.

Of course, as a kunoichi –and a wanted criminal in Kiri to boot- Haku doubted she'd ever have the opportunity to find out. After all, with the sorry state of Kirigakure since the Yondaime Mizukage took power, it was highly unlikely she'd ever have children of her own, seeing as she was likely as not to die before leaving her teens. And that was _before_ she took part in a failed coup d'état.

Now if she had remained a civilian, and somehow hidden away her dirty blood, things would have been different. In fact, Haku could have already married and had a child by now back in her home village. Of course, while it wasn't unheard of for a girl her age to marry and start having children back in Mizu, it wasn't really all that common either. No, Haku was sure she would have waited several more years -perhaps even studied herbs and medicine under the local healer- before she even contemplated settling down with a family of her own. Of course, now that she was thinking about it, Haku couldn't help but wonder what kind of man she would have pursued for herself. She didn't really have any type of criteria really, though she wasn't too surprised by that. After all, she hadn't even begun to think about boys as anything but playmates before she…left… her home village. All she really had to go on was the various bits of gossip she'd overheard from some of the older girls. And those tidbits only added to the confusion. What did it matter which man –or boy as the case may be- was the tallest, or had the broadest shoulders, or the prettiest face? Was that really so important that a girl could decide who she'd spend the rest of her life with based on that alone? Perhaps if she'd remained in the village longer, she would have learned from her mother or one of the other girls her age and it would have all made sense?

Kirigakure certainly hadn't taught her about such things any better than half-listening to gossiping girls did. In Kiri, the situation was both easier to understand, and horribly complicated at the same time. Under the Yondaime, there was a belief in desiring power for power's sake. This extended into relationships as well. Those kunoichi she'd had the opportunity to observe had often been attracted to whichever shinobi had the most power, though it seemed to vary on whether it was physical power, political power, or the power of money that was most important. On the other hand, many shinobi seemed to feel that any woman –whether a civilian or kunoichi often made no difference- they could control belonged to them. These men were the ones Haku worked hard to avoid during her time in Kiri.

Then there were the Blood Purists who seemed to care only for the ancestry of their prospective spouse and little else. A difficult notion due to Mizu no Kuni's bloody history, as there were so many orphans and separated families throughout the long years of civil wars that it was far more common for a man to know that he _had_ a grandfather at one time, then it was for one outside the nobility to know their bloodline all the way back to Kirigakure's founding.

If the two parties were content with the purity of their counterpart's familial history, then they were satisfied. It went without saying that even a hint of tainted blood in a potential spouse's past led to their vicious murder at the hands of their suitor. Haku even knew of a Purist shinobi who wished to marry a Purist kunoichi who was in negotiations with a man descended from nobility before his great-grandmother married a shinobi. Knowing that his own heritage couldn't compete, the Purist forged documents to show the man had a distant cousin -one so far removed as to be recognized as not even family by any rational person- to have a Bloodline. The Purist kunoichi killed the man before he could even attempt to refute the charges, and the Purist shinobi was able to claim the kunoichi for himself. Madness.

Then there were the courting rituals of the clans of Kiri –those few that hadn't already fled the Village to go into hiding- which varied from clan to clan, differing even further depending on whether it was between members of the same clan, members of two different clans, or a clan member and an outsider. For instance, before the Kaguya drove themselves to extinction, they sought out only those who were as vicious and bloodthirsty as they were. A difficult task to be sure, so the Kaguya tended to marry within the clan as a result. And then there were those indecent Terumi women! Always slinking around with their kimono practically hanging off their shoulders! Haku was generally sympathetic to the Bloodline wielding clans –for rather obvious reasons- but the Terumi were one clan she was glad to see driven into hiding.

So no, Haku really didn't have the slightest clue as to what she would have looked for in a potential husband. _'I suppose I'd want him to be kind, and caring.'_ Haku thought idly. '_And it would certainly be preferable if he wasn't a Blood Purist, or at the very least, if he cared for me and our children enough to set those beliefs aside. Even if he could never love me again for letting him marry one of the Tainted, so long as he cared for our children, that would be enough for me.' _Haku paused for a moment to tilt her head thoughtfully, before giggling quietly. _'Of course, it would be nice if he was a good kisser.'_ She blushed uncontrollably at such an improper thought.

As quickly as the moment of childish joy came, it disappeared, leaving her solemn and self-loathing as she reminded herself of the reality of her life. She shook her head, scolding herself for her fanciful daydreams. She was not a normal girl, and she never would be, no matter how often she wished she could be. The entire thought was ridiculous, and such delusions were merely another symptom of how tired she really was. Still, it was nice to dream-

Haku froze, coming out of her wishful thinking as her combat senses slapped her in the face. She wasn't alone in the clearing she'd wandered into. Someone was here with her, and they weren't one of Gato's men either. As she fixed him with a fierce stare, Haku realized she knew this young man. It was the blond shinobi from the other day, the one who had somehow not only snuck past her and Zabuza-sama, but actually had the gall to draw his blood, not to mention somehow blocking the Kubikiribocho with a simple knife!

Haku stared at the seemingly asleep and unaware boy lying there helplessly. Really, his lack of awareness was almost insulting to her as a kunoichi.

Still, she should probably decide how she wanted to handle this. She could try to kill him, right now while he was "sleeping". Haku knew she was certainly capable of it, seeing as how even if he was awake, the boy was still lying on his back with his eyes closed. Haku assumed he was listening to her footsteps as a way to track her, so it would be child's play for her to kill him from a distance. Her Sensatsu Suishou would be the perfect method. A single half seal and one step, and the Konoha shinobi would be smothered in senbon. Barring an almost impossibly quick Shunshin or Kawarimi, there would be no way he could escape. She felt anger curling in her belly at the thought of this person who had not only surprised her yesterday, but had been the cause of Zabuza-sama's defeat and subsequent injury. Haku desperately wanted to kill him for that reason alone.

On the other hand, Haku had to acknowledge that the blond had already shown considerable talent in the shinobi arts. His deception the other day had been perfect, allowing him to seemingly flee the battlefield uncontested, only to return and blindside both herself and Zabuza-sama with an amazing –in that it more or less succeeded- sneak attack. Haku could respect that if nothing else, as deceiving your opponent and catching them off guard, _that_ was the art of the shinobi.

If he somehow _did_ survive her first attack unscathed, it was entirely possible that he could end up killing _her. _While she was willing to die for Zabuza-sama, Haku couldn't allow that to happen while her master was still bedridden and all but helpless. If she died now, Zabuza-sama would be left vulnerable, enough so that Gato might decide to try to dispose of him while he was helpless. Or his injuries might get infected while Haku wasn't around to care for him, or –after realizing that she had died- Zabuza-sama might do something foolish like trying to go after the Konoha ninja while still wounded. Even worse, this Konoha shinobi might defeat her and take her alive, using drugs or Genjutsu or torture to force her to reveal Zabuza-sama's location and condition!

No, Haku didn't dare risk Zabuza-sama's safety unless there was no other choice, especially when the Konoha ninja thought he was dead. Giving it a few moments thought, Haku wondered if she could avoid the risk of trying to kill this boy, while trying to gain some information from him? Her acting abilities really were top notch, and whether it was because of her background before Zabuza-sama took her in or just natural ability, her act as a simple village girl had always worked wonderfully. Yes, that's what she'd do. Act like a simple, curious girl, and try to allay his suspicions and get him to unwittingly reveal information to her. Haku knew she was considered attractive by many, and she had no problems using that to her advantage. A little harmless flirting had gone a long way to gaining her the information she sought in the past.

Mentally nodding, Haku suppressed all aspects of a kunoichi from her personality with practiced ease as she studied her prey intently; looking for anything she could exploit to make her task easier. His clothing didn't really give her anything to work with, his legs covered by dark pants and most of his torso covered by his jacket. All she could really tell was that he had the standard shuriken holster most ninja wore on his right leg and at least one pouch on his hip.

His face on the other hand told her a different story however. For one, there was no sign of the boy's Hitae-ate, which she knew from the other day that he wore on his forehead. Had he lost it? While it was certainly rare for a ninja to be so careless as to lose their Hitae-ate –most treated it as one of their prized possessions- it did happen from time to time. Even she herself wouldn't throw away her own, seeing as how it was a symbol of her use to Zabuza-sama. Or were the Konoha ninja trying to maintain a low profile? That certainly seemed more likely.

His face however drew the eye even more than his lack of a forehead protector. There were three tattoo-like lines drawn across his right cheek. His left cheek however, was more disturbing. There was a single similar line parallel to the bottom line on his other cheek, yet where the two lines above would be, were instead two deep looking scars. Their placement was too specific and –dare she call it- _detailed_ to be a coincidence. Which meant that one of two things; either he'd been tortured at some point in his life –judging by how old the scars looked, it would have been some years ago, when he was little more than a child- or he'd done it to _himself_. If Haku had grown up anywhere but Kirigakure, the thought would have chilled her to the bone. But considering her master and his former colleagues in the Seven Swordsmen, as well as their would-be successors all filed their teeth into shark-like points, it was more like an odd quirk to Haku.

Perhaps it was that very upbringing that allowed Haku to feel that the scars weren't _really_ that disfiguring. If anything, the scars made the rest of his face look better by comparison. And since he wasn't ugly by any means, Haku thought it wouldn't be strange if other girls found him attractive. That was important, as if she were to flirt with him to try to pry information out of him, it was important that it seem natural to the boy. After all, it would be suspicious for an attractive girl like herself to flirt with an incredibly ugly or otherwise unattractive male.

Drawn by her thoughts as she knelt down next to the still deeply asleep boy, Haku couldn't help but remember what she'd been considering before stumbling on the Konoha shinobi. Tilting her head in thought, Haku studied him anew, wondering if she would have pursued someone like him in another life. As she had thought earlier, he wasn't unattractive, and unlike what some of the other village girls had said, she didn't find his scars to be ugly or scary. In fact Haku didn't find the thought of standing next to an older version of this boy while holding a blond headed infant to be distasteful. Granted, she didn't really feel all that excited about the thought either. Sighing in exasperation, Haku tried to push those thoughts away, only to be reminded of one of her few criteria for a hypothetical husband, _'it would be nice if he was a good kisser'_. Her eyes darted to his lips for a second, and then she blushed uncontrollably at her indecent thought.

She was grateful that no one was around to witness her ridiculous and fanciful foolishness –really, thinking about kissing a complete stranger!- as she leaned over to shake him awake. Haku had just begun to wonder about the odd marks on his face -which seemed to be something other than tattoos now that she was up close- before the boy blearily opened his eyes and blinked up at her for a second. "You shouldn't sleep outside like this, you'll catch a cold." Haku scolded gently, the very picture of a polite, yet concerned young village girl.

"Wha-" the shinobi began groggily before his eyes suddenly hardened so quickly that Haku felt a very real fear that she'd been made. Before she could do anything to try to continue her charade, the boy suddenly lunged up at her, knocking her over and straddling her waist while pinning both her hands to her side with his left. Haku's eyes widened in a very real panic as she saw him drawing a kunai with his right hand. She was about to throw all pretenses aside when she felt something else pressing against her. Something that shocked her for several reasons, not the least of which was because she'd never experienced this before. Thankfully, her civilian "act" had a perfect reaction to this that Haku thought would work perfectly to at least distract him. She screamed shrilly.

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"No! P-please, I-I don't have much, but t-there's some food and herbs in my basket! Y-you can sell the herbs in town for some money, just please! D-don't hurt me! Please!" the strange girl whimpered up at him as tears began to stream from her eyes.

Naruto blinked in surprise at her words, caught off guard by how terrified she seemed. Granted, he expected her to be scared at being held at kunai point, but this seemed different somehow. Like her words meant something other than what he thought. Frowning, Naruto shifted slightly before the proverbial light bulb went off as he realized that it was in fact, morning, and he was in fact, a teenage boy, who quite naturally could be aroused by a stiff breeze. Combine his natural state of arousal with the way he'd suddenly thrown himself on top of this girl and- _'Oh God!'_ Naruto thought in utter horror as he frantically threw himself off her. "It's not what you think!" he babbled uncontrollably as the girl scrambled backwards on her hands until she was huddled up against the tree he'd fallen asleep by, shivering in fear as she stared at him with wide, tearful eyes, her arms crossed defensively in front of her chest.

Still off-balance by the way he was awoken, and feeling deeply disgusted with himself that he'd put _any_ girl in the position where she thought he was about to _rape_ _her_, Naruto continued to flail about in his attempts to calm the girl. "I'm not going to hurt you! I mean, I might have to hurt you if you're a threat- but I mean, I'm not going to hurt you…like _that_!" Realizing that if anything he was just making the situation worse, Naruto scrubbed at his head in frustration. "I mean… it's just that…look, its _morning_ you know, and I wouldn't…I mean, not to say that you aren't pretty or anything…because you are, it's just that-" Naruto clenched his teeth together angrily. _'God damn it, get ahold of yourself!'_ he growled angrily at himself. _'Pull your head out of your ass and do what needs to be done! There'll be plenty of time to apologize and make her feel better _after_ you confirm that she isn't a threat.'_

Taking a deep breath, Naruto fixed an impassive expression on his face as he shifted into a better stance should he need to act quickly. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but I can't let you go until you answer my questions. If you answer truthfully and completely, I can let you be on your way. Do you understand?"

The girl stared at him, her tears slowing but not quite stopping as she sniffled slightly. "Y-yes…I-I understand. B-but who are you? What do you want with me?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her slightly hysterical question before remembering that he'd long since removed his Hitae-ate and stuffed it away in one of his pouches. Against regulations to be sure, but there was something about it that Naruto chaffed at. Whether it was because he felt distaste of wearing something that proclaimed his loyalty to the Old Man or the idea of painting an additional target on his back for anyone who happened to have a grudge against Konoha, or the added expectations any of the village's allies would have of him, Naruto didn't know. Regardless, if he _had _been wearing it and this girl was as harmless as she appeared, it's doubtful she would have approached him, which would have prevented this entire situation. Of course, if she _was _a threat, she might have killed him in his sleep rather than shake him awake. Kurenai's scolding on his sleeping habits chose that moment to come back and haunt him. He grudgingly admitted to himself that she had been right, and he'd have to do something about that.

Which really sucked, because damn it, Naruto liked his sleep!

Turning back to the task at hand, Naruto answered her question. "I'm a shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato. Do you know what that means?"

The girl huddled back a little more if that was possible at that. "Y-yes, I understand what that means. Are…are you here working for Gato?" She asked nervously.

Naruto looked at her with carefully concealed wariness. She didn't _appear_ to be a kunoichi -which reduced her possible threat level significantly- based on the fact that she hadn't tried to stick anything sharp and pointy in him yet, nor tried to escape, or even use her bare hands against him. Naruto knew full well that one didn't have to be a Hyuuga to kill or cause significant bodily harm with bare hands alone. Still, based on the women in his life, Naruto was fairly confident in his assessment of her. After all, Anko tried to kill him all the time, even _without_ him attacking her first. If he ever _did_ attack her unprovoked, the best he could hope for was that she'd _only_ try to stab him with something, and not get..._creative_. And Kurenai and even Yoshino -or Hana Naruto added reluctantly- would have reacted with deadly violence as well if they'd been in the girl's position. Hell, even girls like Hanabi and Hinata would have probably defended themselves -though he wasn't sure about the former, what with Hanabi being both a little girl _and_ something of a prodigy.

Still, if she was someone who'd go running to Gato, then he needed to be careful not to give anything of importance away. On the other hand, if she was one of Tazuna's people, or if she had suffered under Gato's reign, the wrong answer might drive her into a more terrified frenzy. And Naruto quite honestly did _not _want to deal with that. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the missions of Konohagakure." He answered in a measured tone. "But I can tell you that I was not hired by this…Gato." All true, as Naruto had yet to approach the man for a potential partnership. Seeing the girl relax gave Naruto the answer to which "side" she was on. Speaking of which. "Now, who are you? What are you doing out here?"

"My name is Haku, Shinobi-sama. I'm gathering herbs for my master." The newly name Haku answered a little more steadily.

"Master? So you're a servant girl then?" Naruto questioned, attempting to piece together information from what she _didn't_ say as much as what she did. "And what does he need herbs for? Is he some kind of merchant or medicine man?"

"No, my master is a politician, and dabbles in various business interests from time to time." Haku corrected with a hint of her previous gentleness returning, before frowning worriedly. "He was hurt recently when Gato decided he had displeased him. The herbs are to help him recover, Shinobi-sama."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, beginning to piece together the girl's story. Her master was likely a low ranking member of the Nami Daimyo's court, born into enough wealth that he could dabble in business without any great concern for losing all his money on a foolish enterprise. Though judging by Haku's kimono, the man wasn't well off enough to have live in servants. Her clothes were nice, but they weren't of the make and quality of the sort Naruto would expect from the servants of nobility. "So you're knowledgeable about herbs then? That's quite impressive for someone as young as you."

Haku blushed slightly in embarrassment, yet still smiled happily as she answered. "I've always had an interest in herbs, and I've been able to gain a lot of experience and knowledge while serving master. He's not very good with plants of any kind himself, but he's nice enough to indulge my hobby."

He nodded and continued asking questions, feeling more and more certain that Haku was just a simple village girl, working as a servant for some –relatively speaking- well off family in order to get by. She definitely didn't seem to be any threat to him, not with her general openness and lack of any kind of defensive stance other than huddling back against a tree. He learned that she was fifteen, and was an orphan, probably a recent one too given her unwillingness to go into too much detail about the event. No doubt the incident was probably related to Gato in some way given her reactions. Though that explained why she needed to work as a servant in the first place, as she had no one else to support her.

Finally, Naruto was satisfied that Haku –while recklessly naïve with how she approached him- had meant no harm to him, and was in fact genuinely concerned for his health. Which while a good thing, made him feel like an absolute asshole for the way he'd terrified the poor girl earlier. Putting away his kunai, Naruto tried to seem as nonthreatening as possible as he picked up her overturned basket and collected the herbs that had spilled out -subtly checking for any hidden weapons just in case- before placing it near Haku without getting too close to her. After all, now that he'd determined that she was just a normal girl, the last thing he wanted to do was scare her further. "I'm sorry I frightened you earlier, Haku…san." Naruto added a little awkwardly.

It had been a long time since he cared about using the "proper" old forms of addressing people. The Old Ways struck him as archaic and outdated for the most part, only really used frequently among Shinobi, Samurai, and Nobility. Even among Shinobi, other than the names of techniques and a handful of titles for addressing someone, most of the Old Ways were largely forgotten or ignored outside of the most traditional of clans, or those who had lived in the Hidden Clans Era. Although now that he thought about it, Haku probably lacked the education necessary to know the difference anyway. After all, what noble cared enough to educate their servants, let alone a minor, unimportant noble from a backwater semi-nation like Nami no Kuni? She was probably just instructed to address everyone as "sama".

"But still, you shouldn't go around waking up strange men when you're by yourself. Especially with the way things are now." Naruto continued with a frown. "I could have killed you before either of us realized what was happening."

Haku paled slightly and fidgeted with her basket, peering up at him through her eyelashes. "I'm sure Shinobi-sama wouldn't have harmed me. But I _am_ sorry I startled you…I just didn't want you to catch a cold."

Sighing slightly, Naruto shook his head in defeat. Even after everything that's happened, he had no doubt that Haku would react the exact same if she came across another strange man sleeping in some random clearing _tomorrow_. _'Foolish, naïve girl.'_ Naruto thought ruefully and with a tinge of wonder. He'd never come across such innocence outside of a small child before. "My name isn't Shinobi-sama. It's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Haku brightened considerably and shifted so she was sitting seiza style before him. "Pleased to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki-sama." She smiled at him with a small blush.

Slightly dazed by just how beautiful she looked when she smiled; it took Naruto a second for her words to register in his mind. "No, you don't really need to use "sama" with me Haku-san. I'm not really a follower of the Old Ways." He explained as kindly as he could. No need to make her think he was looking down on her for being uneducated after all.

Rather than be offended like he had feared, Haku just covered her mouth and giggled shyly. "I think it suits you just fine, Naruto-sama. But if you like, I'd be honored if you wanted to just call me Haku." Naruto really didn't know how to respond to that, or the odd way she was looking at him. Nor was he given a chance to, as Haku continued. "If you don't mind my asking, what were you doing sleeping out here? Surely Naruto-sama could have found someplace better to sleep, or at least a little dryer."

"Well it's not like I meant to sleep out here." Naruto defended himself as he felt his cheeks warm for some reason. "I came out here to do some training, and I ended up falling asleep while taking a break."

"I see." Haku giggled again, before tilting her head slightly to the side and looking at him curiously. "Why are you training?" She must have seen the way his face suddenly became blank, because she flinched ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, I'm sure it must be something you can't tell someone like me. My master is always scolding me for being too nosy…and…well, it just looks like you're already really strong, and so I was curious…"

Naruto found it rather disturbing how much she looked like a scolded puppy. "Look Haku, I don't mean to be insulting, but I don't think you'd be able to understand without an explanation that would take more time than I have to give." Naruto said with a slight smile as he glanced up at the sun.

Haku blinked owlishly, and then followed his gaze skyward with a start. "Oh! Look at the time! I need to get back and start breakfast!" Haku scrambled to gather her herbs and basket and brush off her kimono.

Naruto couldn't help but shake his head with a rueful smirk at the way the girl was acting. Although at the same time, Naruto couldn't help but worry slightly for her. She _was_ a very pretty, somewhat naive girl, and between having no family to look after her and the current situation with Gato here in Nami, it would be all too easy for someone to take advantage of her. Odd that that would bother him, but it was probably just a side effect of looking out for Kurenai, Hinata, and Hanabi for so many years.

"Would you like me to escort you back to your home?" He offered, figuring it would be the polite thing to do. And it wasn't like it would take him too long anyway. "Things aren't exactly safe in this country these days. It probably would be for the best."

Haku just gave him that smile again and shook her head before turning and heading for the edge of the clearing. Just as she was about to leave the clearing, she paused, and turned back to face him with a deep blush. "Although, I wouldn't mind if…that is to say…well, I really enjoyed talking with you, Naruto-sama. Do you think it would be alright if we met again? Just for a little while? I promise I won't take up too much of your time! It's just, well, with master hurt; I don't have anyone to talk to anymore…and well…" Haku trailed as she anxiously awaited his answer.

Naruto just shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not? I could probably come back tomorrow." It wasn't like he had anything else to do with his time. Kakashi might expect him to take the old drunk to and from his bridge for a bit, and Naruto still needed to find a way to get in touch with Gato, but otherwise, there was really nothing to do. Not like it's likely Zabuza really _had_ survived having a couple of giant needles shoved through his neck either, regardless of what Kakashi dreamt up in his exhausted state. Returning Haku's wave, Naruto watched her retreating form until he lost her in the trees before finally turning and heading back to Tsunami's home. Of course, it goes without saying that he was only watching her to make sure she made it away from here safely. Not because he found himself staring at her…parts…which were outlined quite well by her kimono in his opinion.

* * *

Haku hummed happily to herself as she walked away from Naruto. Beneath the cheerful exterior and excited giggling however, Haku played over the previous hour or so in her head. A decent shinobi and deceiver Naruto might be, but a skilled interrogator he most certainly was not. It had been almost too easy to give out slivers of truth in answer to his questions and allow him to draw his own conclusions. As a member of the Seven Swordsmen back in Kiri, Zabuza-sama had been involved in politics for many years, even before he began plotting to overthrow the Yondaime Mizukage. And as a ninja, Zabuza-sama was quite the businessman. Of course, that business often involved assassinations, sabotage, espionage, and various other forms of mayhem and murder. And Gato _had _been angry when the Demon Brother's failed to kill the bridge builder, and Zabuza-sama's injuries happened shortly after.

So yes, Haku was quite pleased with the way things turned out on that front. Add in what she'd managed to learn from Naruto, despite his attempts to avoid giving her anything but the vaguest answers, and Haku was glad she decided not to kill him. For instance, while Naruto likely thought nothing of it, telling her that he was out here training, and that he could "come back tomorrow" so nonchalantly made it seem very likely that the Konoha ninja had no clue that Zabuza-sama was still alive, or that he had Haku to aid him. It was unlikely they'd dare let one of their own go off by himself otherwise. She'd already known why he was in Nami no Kuni, but she'd also learned that Tazuna wasn't being guarded by the whole team either. If Naruto was training, it implied that he'd possibly spend today resting. Which suggested that the bridge builder might be guarded by as few as one shinobi. She'd confirmed his first name while observing their battle with Zabuza-sama, so it seemed unlikely he'd give her a false last name when he could have easily said nothing.

_'Uzumaki…Uzumaki…I don't recall hearing about any "Uzumaki clan" in relation to Konoha before.'_ Haku mused to herself curiously. _'I'll have to ask Zabuza-sama about it.' _Judging that she'd gone far enough, Haku "flicked the switch" on her act and veered off of her original path to head back to the fortified compound Zabuza-sama had been using while in this country. She'd check on Zabuza-sama's wounds, and then brief him on what she'd learned and her plans for gathering more information. Maybe he'd be able to piece together something she'd missed from her conversation with Naruto.

* * *

Naruto made it back to the house just in time to find Tazuna's family and the rest of Team Seven sitting down to breakfast. It was mildly amusing to see the various greetings he received from everyone. Kakashi and Sasuke both glanced at him for a moment, and then immediately returned to what they were doing. Sakura and Tazuna both ignored him, which was just fine by him, seeing as how he didn't like one, and was plotting the death of the other. Inari glared at him for a moment, and then sniffed disdainfully before going back to his sulking. Tsunami on the other hand, seemed genuinely happy to see him. "There you are, Naruto. I was worried when you didn't come back last night. I hope you didn't spend the night in the forest? You'll get sick doing things like that."

"Maa, you don't need to worry about him Tsunami-san." Kakashi answered for him from where he sat doing light stretches. "Naruto might not be the most pleasant person to be around, but he is a true ninja…most of the time."

Naruto glared at him and gave him the finger as he sat at a spot at the table where he could overlook Tsunami's cooking out of habit. Once breakfast was served, Naruto once again noticed how Inari's portion was larger than everyone else's, while Tsunami's was smaller. This confirmed his earlier suspicions, and he made a note to see if he could find some game out in the forest later on.

"Naruto," Kakashi's voice shook him from his thoughts. "I want you to take Tazuna to his bridge today. You shouldn't have to worry about any attacks from Gato just yet, but just in case, I want you to take a signal flare with you. I trust you to utilize your judgment on whether or not you need to use it, but I would much rather you be overcautious than careless. Understand?"

Naruto nodded thoughtfully and glanced from Kakashi to his "teammates" and back before biting back his somewhat scathing question of, "what good would it do if _I_ can't handle whatever's going on and _you_ can't do anything to help?" The last thing he wanted was another lecture on the importance of trust and faith between teammates.

"Finally!" Tazuna grumbled angrily. "It's about time you ninjas came to your senses! Do you have any idea how much you've put back the bridge's completion? Let's go!" He ordered arrogantly as he rose from his seat and left the room, no doubt to gather his shoes and equipment, grumbling what were no doubt insults against his protectors.

Naruto grunted to himself and continued eating, pausing only to acknowledge Tsunami's apologetic look with a shrug. "Hurry it up, boy!" Tazuna yelled from the other room. "We need to hurry if we're going to make any real progress today!"

"And how exactly do you intend to get in touch with all of your workers without getting spotted by any of Gato's supporters?" Naruto called back as he stood up and reluctantly tied his Hitae-ate around his forehead.

"What are you, a moron?" Tazuna shouted back derisively. "My men have been working around the clock for the last week! All we need to do is show up!"

Naruto blinked in surprise at the old drunk's answer, and exchanged confused glances with the others. If the work on the bridge had continued unabated during Tazuna's absence, then why was he so important to the project?

* * *

As it turned out, Tazuna was so important because he was the only one at the work site who _truly_ knew what he was doing. Oh, many of the old drunk's veteran workers knew a lot about building a bridge. In fact, if they were simply building a bridge connecting two of Nami no Kuni's many islands, the veterans could probably build it themselves by pooling their knowledge. Granted it would take far longer, and would more than likely to be less to standard than if Tazuna was there, but they could do it. Building a bridge the size needed to connect Nami to Hi no Kuni on the other hand, required the knowledge and skills of a true master of architecture. Everything from the exact angles necessary for the support pillars, to the load bearing weight of any given part of the bridge had to be carefully calculated, while taking in such considerations as how the weather might affect it, to the simple wear and tear of use.

And Tazuna seemed to be the only one qualified to do all of it, _and_ direct his workers, not to mention working alongside them. _'Looks like the old drunk isn't all talk after all.'_ Naruto mused as he watched them scurrying over the site with the kind of efficiency that only comes from experience and a long time of working together. _'Still…'_ Not everything was going so smoothly.

"I'm sorry, Tazuna." One of the older workers said guiltily to the old drunk. "I just can't have anything to do with this anymore. You know Gato is going to come after us all any day now. He's probably already got men watching our families, and not all of us have shinobi to protect us. I have to quit."

Tazuna eyed the man -apparently a close friend of his- before letting out a quiet sigh. "If that's how you feel about it, then don't come back." Tazuna murmured as he stepped past him, no longer seeming to be able to stomach looking at him. Instead, the old drunk turned his gaze to those workers who were watching the confrontation. Naruto couldn't help but notice the look of hopelessness in many of their eyes. "In fact, anyone else who feels the same should leave right now. Don't bother coming back, you're help isn't necessary."

"Please, listen to reason Tazuna!" the other man turned around, trying to grab the old man's shoulder to stop him as he walked off to one of the piles of supplies. "You can't build this bridge by yourself!" Naruto watched him very closely, wondering how far the man's fear and desperation might push him. And whether or not Naruto would have to dump his corpse over the side of the bridge to keep the old drunk "safe".

"I've built plenty of bridges by myself." Tazuna stated as he lifted a bag of concrete over his shoulder, walking away from the supplies to head toward a mixer. "One more won't make any difference."

"Fine, you crazy fool!" the man yelled at him, pointing an accusing finger at Tazuna. "Get yourself and your family killed for nothing! I won't die for your lost cause, and I'm not about to let my family die for it either!"

As the man was walking off as Tazuna spoke quietly, his voice somehow carrying despite that. "So letting your family suffer under a tyrant is preferable to having them live free?" Tazuna stared after the man as he continued to stomp off, heading back into the city.

Naruto watched it all in silence. It wasn't his job to make the man stay and help build the bridge, though he couldn't help but wonder how many more of the old drunk's workers were going to run off. Considering how close the bridge was to completion, as well as how long these men must have been working on it to get this far, without being butchered by Gato, it made Naruto wonder what had suddenly changed to start scaring them off. Or what the point was of even finishing the bridge at this point.

"Hey, Tazuna." Naruto called quietly as he moved to stand next to the old drunk. "Say you do finish this bridge…what then?"

"What are you talking about?" Tazuna asked irritably. "What kind of stupid question is that?"

Resisting the urge to punch the old bastard, Naruto instead continued with his point. "Surely you don't expect Gato to just up and _leave_ when the bridge is finished? What happens if the day after the bridge is done, Gato sends mercenaries to claim it for himself? Or if he just hires another ninja to blow it up during the night. What then?"

Tazuna stared at him blankly for several moments, before returning to his work with a grunt. "This bridge will save my country. Once it's finished, hope will return to the people, and Gato's hold on our nation will be broken. You'll see."

Naruto stared at him with barely masked contempt. Surely he didn't seriously believe things could be that simple? That all it would take to drive Gato away would be to build a bridge, and everything would just magically get better? "So when you finish this bridge, you're going to just what? Sit back and expect everything to go back to the way it was? Do you really think Gato is just going to give up everything he has here, just because the _people_ are complaining about his presence and no longer need his ships?"

"Our people will have hope again." Tazuna repeated firmly. "Once we finish this bridge, Gato's reign will be over!"

_'God, he's like a broken record.' _Naruto thought disgustedly. _'He literally has no plan for what comes after this bridge. If these people can't even stomach the thought of building a bridge to break Gato's hold, they'll never be able to bring themselves to do what is necessary to get rid of him. This whole project isn't just doomed, it's _pointless_! All he's going to accomplish is building Gato a bridge for free.'_

Gazing out over the water, Naruto's final doubts about his plans evaporated. Tonight, he'd go looking for Gato. Once that was done, all it would take is a little negotiation to keep Tsunami and Inari safe from retribution, and enough money to tide them over while Nami rebuilds under Gato. Of course, it went without saying that Gato would require Tazuna's head, but after learning how the man had let his son-in-law die, led an entire nation into a pointless and quite possibly suicidal endeavor, provoking Gato into cracking down on the nation in retaliation, all without the will to actually _fight_ for his people –a people who had no will to fight for _themselves_ no less- Naruto didn't have any qualms about that.

* * *

**Translations:**

Sensatsu Suishou=Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death

Did I miss any?

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**AN: **

And that is chapter twenty-three. Not too happy with most of this one, mainly because of all the Haku pov scenes, which I'm still struggling with. She's supposed to come across as someone with serious issues, a mental defense mechanism that borders on multiple personality disorder -aka her acting- in addition to the standard teenage hormone fuelled...irrationality is a polite word for it I guess. Basically, I want Haku to act like she went through all the things she did and didn't just shrug it off like she did in canon, but was actually affected by it on a fundamental level.

And since I'm sure someone is going to mention how relatively easy Naruto lowered his guard around her, I'll go ahead and try to explain it as much as I can.

Haku was able to sneak up on him so easily because he's a heavy sleeper, something that was mentioned in earlier chapters. So, she's able to wake him up, and once he wakes up enough to realize he doesn't know her, he reacts instinctively. However, rather than react like an assassin whose ambush has been thwarted, or a spy whose cover has been blown, Haku instead reacted as if she were the harmless civilian she was pretending to be. To Naruto's mind, the fact that she didn't react the way he or any of the ninja he knows would have -aka, trying to kill him/defend herself- mixed with emotional shock and horror at the thought that a girl apparently thought he was about to rape her -keeping in mind that most of the people he cares about are women, as well as the fact that such an act would be crossing a serious line for him- as well as the fact that she didn't take advantage of his distraction to either attack him or escape, all worked together to get Naruto to subconsciously label her as _not _a ninja, but still a possible threat. From there, it was a combination of Haku's very good acting abilities, half-truths, Naruto's less than expert interrogation skills, plus one other detail that I'm trying out but can't explain just yet.

Or at least, that's what I was trying to go for. It's entirely possible that I failed utterly when it came to actually writing that out. Also, just as a reminder to everyone who might be upset by Naruto's plans to work with Gato, please remember that Naruto doesn't _know _anything about Gato, or about how the guy took over. From the outside, it _looks_ like most of the population doesn't want to fight the man, or help Tazuna.

Final rant for this chapter, and something that still doesn't make any sense to me. What was Tazuna's plan for _after_ the bridge was built? Because the way canon made it seem -at least to me- was that building the bridge was about the equivalent of all those teenage girls running off to Hollywood to become the "next big star" without any kind of preplanning for things like where they'd live, or how they' support themselves, let alone, how they would go about _becoming_ a star. Pretty much the same thing with Tazuna's bridge. He got the, "if I build a bridge, we won't need ships to trade anymore" but seems to have neglected pretty much _everything else_ that would need to be involved. For instance, if all of Wave's merchants were sea-based before Gato, then they're probably not going to be very knowledgeable about land-based trading. Let alone, any _good_ at it. And beyond that, if everyone in Wave is poor and destitute, what exactly do they plan to trade over the bridge? How do they intend to pay for caravans to take whatever trade goods they can scrounge up out to other markets? I could go on, but you probably get the point. Not to mention the fact that bridges can be destroyed, or Gato could take the bridge for himself, seeing as how no one in the entire country seems willing to actually fight him.

Anyway, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome, especially if it can help turn this chapter into what I was trying to make it.

Peace, Vaan.


	25. Chapter 24

**Words-211596, Chapters-25, Reviews-928, Hits-553314, C2s-139, Favs-1622, Alerts-1657**

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**AN:** Sorry about not updating on time, but I've been somewhere with no internet access -let alone time to do so- so I couldn't post this sooner. Special thanks to Hygieia for stepping up to help beta this and Reckoning. Hopefully I'll have some Reckoning chapters ready to go soon, and I've also got another idea that I've been working on and off since I was in Afghanistan. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 24 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**Chapter Twenty-Four**

That night, after Naruto had snuck out of the house under his Konohagakure no Jutsu, he made his way into the city. Once there, he took to the rooftops, taking great care to avoid being spotted or detected in any way, just in case his Genjutsu failed for any reason. Naruto could not afford to be seen looking for or speaking with Gato by anyone, since that could lead to some unpleasant questions, which might involve nasty words like "betrayal" or "treason". Something he could ill afford at this stage in his plans.

Naruto ghosted through the city, noting very little difference between the place in the day and at night. About the only real difference he noted was that his estimate on how much of the crowd yesterday had been homeless had been far too optimistic. Many of them must have been moving around just for something to do, as it looked like half the city was sleeping in the streets below. Which made it all the more strange that no one was willing to actually fight back against Gato. Usually, with a crowd this size and this destitute, it would have been a common occurrence to see them rioting against whatever or whomever they saw responsible for their fate. Or rioting for any other reason for that matter.

And considering that Gato Corp was both the largest available target, as well as actually bearing some responsibility for their poverty, one would think they would have already rioted. The homeless alone certainly outnumbered Gato's mercenaries, and as there were no signs of any other form of police, there was little if any deterrent to a riot. It would be bloody to be sure, and Gato would likely succeed in putting such a mob down sooner or later, but there'd also be enough successes to embolden the people to rise up again and again. On top of that, there had to be _some _food on Gato's property so the man's employees could actually eat themselves. What better target for a hungry mob with nothing left to lose could there be? So it truly boggled the mind that these people, some of whom were obviously starving, had yet to _do_ anything.

The only other obvious differences he noticed in the city were the bars. Whereas the rest of the city seemed mired in an endless depression, any street with a bar on it seemed to be in the midst of a party. Of course, while the bars were obviously owned and manned by natives of Nami no Kuni, most of their patrons were mercenaries employed by Gato. Still, it seemed that Gato's men were more than willing to pay for their drinks, even if they were a bit rowdy or grabby with the serving women. Still given the way the servers seemed to almost absentmindedly ignore or slap at the occasional groping hand, it seemed that this was more or less normal for a bar. Or at least, Naruto assumed it was normal for a _civilian_ bar. From what Naruto had heard from Genma and the Bearded Monkey –and those _very_ unfortunate times he listened to Anko telling one of her bar stories- given how many women in Konoha had received at least _some_ measure of kunoichi training, it was either a very drunk or a very foolish man who tried to pinch the butt of a random waitress.

Satisfied that he could find what he was looking for in such places, Naruto settled in on the rooftop opposite one of the bars, ready to wait until the early hours of the morning if necessary. As he studied the crowd of drinkers looking for any mercenary who looked like he was leaving, Naruto began to notice something odd.

Many of the people here who weren't mercenaries appeared to local women, who drank and smiled, and laughed alongside Gato's men. From the looks of things, Gato's men seemed to be on relatively good terms with the locals, some even considering setting down roots by the looks of things. Though it didn't escape Naruto's notice that more than a few of those smiles seemed somewhat …forced… or that several women looked like they wanted to cry even as they laughed. Even more disturbing were the occasional glimpses of collars or even honest to God _manacles_ on a few of the women.

Naruto felt a little queasy at the thought that he might end up being responsible for this, however inadvertently it might be. He'd have to make sure to find out if Gato knew about this or not, if only to attempt to assuage his own mind. Not all of the women he'd seen with the collars or manacles were from Nami no Kuni after all. In fact, while he wasn't any real kind of expert on telling people apart by their nationalities, it seemed like most of those women were from other countries. So it was possible this sort of thing was just part of one of the many mercenary groups working for Gato, and that that particular group had continued the practice here in Nami no Kuni after Gato imposed his blockade.

It didn't make him feel any better, but at least Naruto could have a semi-clean conscience if Gato knew nothing about it. Otherwise…well, Naruto wasn't willing to pass up the chance to get Gato on his side, no matter how…distasteful he might find it. Especially since by allying with Gato, Naruto would have at least some influence with the man, perhaps enough to eventually get the man to put a stop to such things in his domain.

He spent the next two hours watching, trying to pick out which mercenary was most likely to have the information he wanted. And as the night dragged on, he added on the criteria of "sober enough to answer my questions" to that. It did make him feel slightly better when he saw some of the women below leaving, sometimes alone, sometimes leading a mercenary away with her. Even better –relatively speaking- Naruto often saw money exchange hands between the mercenaries and the women beforehand. That at least meant the women weren't being forced. This served to sooth his troubled thoughts slightly, though the handful of couples he saw leaving with no money exchanged and genuine smiles on both the women and the mercenaries were _far_ more comforting.

Finally, Naruto saw a trio of relatively sober mercenaries preparing to leave, and more importantly, leave _without_ female companionship. It was going to be hard enough to avoid witnesses as it was with all of the homeless on the streets; Naruto didn't need things to be any more complicated. Which of course, it immediately became when Naruto noticed the men staring intently at one of the serving girls who looked like she was getting ready to leave as well. Sighing, Naruto almost turned away to look for a new target, when he caught something out of the corner of his eye that made him freeze. The serving girl, a dark haired woman of about twenty or so, had ducked into a back room behind the bar for a moment, before stepping back out with a child no older than ten rubbing her eyes sleepily. Judging by their similarities and ages, Naruto figured the two must be sisters. Much to his unease, the watching mercenaries didn't cease their staring.

The serving girl took the child by the hand, and deftly led her through the crowd and out into the streets. And Naruto's lip curled in disgust as the trio he'd been watching got up and followed after. Naruto hesitated only for a moment before following as well. If he was lucky, he could intercept the men before they got too far, so as to avoid getting the two sisters caught up in whatever the mercenaries had planned.

Unfortunately, the men didn't seem to have any problems with witnesses, as just a few blocks later, on a street that was just as packed with the homeless as any other, the three suddenly sped up and overtook the girls, quickly corralling them into a nearby alley despite the older girl's cries to leave them alone. Whatever sympathy Naruto might have felt for the general population of Nami no Kuni evaporated when not _one _of the _dozens_ of people in the street looked up at the girl's cries. In fact, with the exception of a cringe or a shiver from a handful, most of the street looked blatantly like they were trying to ignore what was going on.

_'Fuck these people!' _Naruto snarled as he swiftly jumped down into the alley. _'They deserve whatever Gato does to them!'_ Pushing down the urge to run back into the street flinging explosive tags, Naruto stealthily crept up behind the group, taking care to remain in the shadows even with his Genjutsu active.

"Please, if its money you want, just take it and leave us alone! We've done nothing to you!" The girl shouted, no doubt still hoping one of those bastards out in the street would hear her and come running.

"We don't want your money, girl." One of the men chuckled as he stepped toward the young woman, who cringed back against the wall, yet did her best to stay between the whimpering child and the men. "We're just looking for some fun, and decided to let you join in."

"Yeah Hitomi!" one of the other mercenaries cackled. "Come party with us! I promise, you'll never forget it."

"Hitomi" blanched and quickly dug out a money pouch and offered it to the mercenaries. "If it's a woman you want, then go back to the bar and buy one of the girls there. You can use my money!"

The first man just grinned wider as he stepped closer. "Nah, you don't understand, Hitomi. It's no fun if they don't fight back."

Naruto grit his teeth angrily at this, deciding then and there that two of these fucks were going to die here. Whichever one seemed most likely to know Gato's whereabouts would die a little later.

Hitomi's face was unbelievably pale as she desperately offered. "Then just take me! Leave my sister alone!" the girl behind her just clung to her tighter at these words, her whimpering long since dissolved into terrified sobbing.

The first man actually blanched himself at that. "Shit woman, who the hell do you take us for? We're not interested in little brats!"

No sooner had he spoken those words than the third man spoke up for the first time. "Hey Captain," the third man spoke with a thoughtful look. "Don't we still owe the Black Dragon Group's captain a favor?"

_'Good enough…'_ Naruto thought viciously as he drew a kunai in each hand and moved forward silently.

"Yeah, so what?" the "Captain" asked impatiently.

"Well, isn't he supposed to have a taste for the young ones? Why don't we let him have the kid to repay that favor?"

* * *

Hitomi sobbed quietly as she desperately tried to keep Sayuri behind her. She could live with whatever these men intended to do to her, so long as they left Sayuri alone, and left herself in a condition that was capable of still working and taking care of her little sister. It wouldn't be easy, but Hitomi was willing to make that sacrifice for her. And maybe if she didn't resist, the men would lose interest and go elsewhere? But how was she going to convince these…these…_animals_ to just take her?

The mercenaries that had rapidly occupied the city since Gato's blockade went up were very much a law unto themselves. Unfortunately, their "laws" varied from group to group. Some of the mercenary bands were the epitome of respectfulness, discipline, and professionalism –likely having been members of some army or another at one point, if not an actual Samurai clan- and went out of their way to avoid harming the people of Nami unnecessarily. Then they were others who were little more than bands of thugs with weapons, taking a sadistic pleasure in ruining lives on a whim. Yet more bands were anywhere in between those two.

Her thoughts were brutally interrupted when the throat of the man between her and the entrance to the street they'd been taken from suddenly exploded in a shower of blood. Hitomi's quiet sobs were replaced by terrified screaming as she fell back to huddle against the wall, wrapping Sayuri in her arms to prevent her from witnessing what Hitomi was sure would be their death.

Before the man's blood had had the chance to hit the ground, the eyes of the man to her left –the one who spoken of giving Sayuri to another man- became fountains of blood and other unsightly fluids, adding his agonized screams to her own terrified ones. Of course, his screams lasted only a moment before some unseen force ripped him open from crotch to neck. The first man's body was only just hitting the ground when the second's screams turned into gurgles.

"The fuck-!" the captain shouted in panic as he scrambled at his sword belt, only to freeze suddenly.

Hitomi bit back her own screams as her fear warred with shock. Between one second and the next, two men had been savagely killed by someone or…_something_. The following second, there was nothing in the alley except for Hitomi, Sayuri, the remaining mercenary, and two corpses.

Then Hitomi stared wide-eyed as someone was suddenly just _there_ behind the mercenary captain, one hand holding a strange looking knife to his throat. Then, the shadows where the person's face should be shifted slightly as the figure leaned forward to speak quietly into the man's ear, revealing part of a cheek with strange line-like marks and a single, _glowing _eye, eerily reflecting the moonlight. Hitomi was no doubt biased, but in that moment, she'd swear that was the single most beautiful eye she'd ever seen.

Feeling her sister shifting against her, Hitomi quickly made sure to keep Sayuri's head pressed against her as she stared up at their savior in horrified awe. At least, she prayed he was their savior. Seeing as how no one had coming running when the screaming was going on, it was doubtful anyone would come running now. And whatever this thing was, if it could kill three veteran mercenaries so easily, Hitomi had no doubt it could effortlessly kill her and her sister.

"S-sure, I can tell you all about him!" the remaining mercenary suddenly started babbling. "Just don't kill me, and I'll tell you everything you want to know!"

Hitomi wanted to snarl at this monster who had considered giving her sister to a pedophile, wanted to beg for their savior to make him scream in agony. She was honestly shocked at how much she wanted another human being to suffer, but in the end it didn't matter. No sooner had she thought it, then the mercenary's belt fell to the ground, even as a second arm appeared to wrap around the man's left arm in some kind of arm lock before gripping his hair roughly.

"Yes, you will." A cold voice promised on the wind. Hitomi was just about to ask the mysterious form what it was going to do, when the alleyway exploded into a vortex of wind, seemingly centered on the mercenary and the shadowy form, forcing Hitomi to squeeze her eyes shut. When the wind died away a moment later, she cautiously opened her eyes to find that she and her sister were alone in the alleyway with the two corpses.

When she finally gathered the strength to stand and scoop Sayuri into her arms before sprinting from the alleyway, the frightened onlookers noticed two things about her. One was the shining tears of gratitude in her eyes, which caused no small amount of confusion as everyone _knew_ what was about to happen to her when Gato's men cornered her. The other was the reverently spoken words she kept mumbling over and over again as she ran back towards her home.

"Thank you Fuujin-sama, thank you!"

* * *

Naruto crouched down at the banks of one of Nami no Kuni's many rivers, scrubbing at his hands as his mind thought back over the last hour in disgust. Upon arriving in the forest with his captive via Shunshin, Naruto was quick to get to work. The very first thing he'd done was to pin the still disoriented mercenary's hands to a tree with kunai. The man had immediately answered Naruto's question after that, more than willing to tell him where Gato could be found. Seeing as that was all he wanted to know, Naruto spent a minute or two fingering another kunai threateningly, before deciding the man was telling the truth.

Having gained all the information he really cared to know, Naruto started cutting off the man's fingers, much to the man's screamed protests. Naruto was still far, _far_ too enraged at what had been going on back in that alley to listen though. Unable to deliver full justice to all three men, Naruto settled in to deliver the combined punishment to the captain. He might not have known a great deal about torture, but he'd spent enough time around Anko to pick up a few things here and there. Things he had eagerly tested on the mercenary.

Naruto had learned a great deal once the mercenary realized he wasn't going to ask any more questions. Things that ranged from how the mercenary bands were kept in line –which turned out to be basically run by the individual captains, unless Gato had specific orders to the contrary- to where the man –who Naruto learned was named Daichi- kept the money his group was paid, to how Daichi was willing to swear on his mother's life that they weren't _really_ going to hurt Hitomi or her sister, they just wanted her good and riled up when they fucked her. Most of it, Naruto just tuned out, though Daichi probably regretted saying that last bit once Naruto started getting creative.

Naruto's stomach roiled when he thought about what else he'd learned. For instance, the smell of a man's innards was _far_ worse than he'd thought possible. He'd actually recoiled and then vomited when he cut open Daichi's stomach. The stench still hung about in the air, despite Naruto's use of the D rank Shinju Zanshu –the Doton jutsu was one of the very few that Kakashi had been willing to teach them thus far- to drag the body underground. Feeling his disgust rising again, Naruto clenched his shaking hands angrily.

Daichi had certainly deserved everything he'd done to him, of that, Naruto had no doubt. But the fact remained; Naruto didn't _need_ to do it to him. He should have just slit Daichi's throat the moment he'd gotten what he wanted from him. Naruto could have been to see Gato and back to the house by now if he had. And…if Naruto were to be completely honest with himself, it took every ounce of his self-control to get Daichi back here _alive, _rather than killing him back in that alley. Self-control that had completely evaporated in the face of his rage once Daichi told him what he wanted to know. Torturing Daichi like that, hadn't been the act of a man on a mission. Nor had it been the act of necessary evil conducted calmly and professionally. It had been an act of an enraged animal, of someone who wanted only to cause pain for the sake of inflicting it.

_'Shit, I did everything but _cackle_ while I was torturing him…' _Naruto thought with a disgusted grimace as he remembered the sudden desire to tear the man's throat out with his _teeth_ of all things. _'I can't afford to lose control like that, no matter what!' _There was too much riding on Naruto's ability to keep control of his temper to allow things like…_this_.

Naruto resolved to never allow himself to lose control like this again. Even setting aside the risk to his plans, if _this_ was how Naruto acted when he lost control…what would happen if he ever lost his temper back in the Village? What if Konohamaru made him just a little too angry with his pestering hero worship?

Forcefully pushing that thought to the back of his mind along with whatever doubts and self-recriminations he had, Naruto reapplied his Genjutsu and headed back into the city. He had a meeting to get to.

* * *

"Damn that bitch!" Gato growled as he stalked into his office in one of the main Gato Corp buildings in Nami. He couldn't help but feel the awkward weight of the cast as he walked, and given his…less than average… size, it made walking normally difficult. And forget what it did to his image! "And where the hell were you two!?" he snapped at his two bodyguards as they followed him in. "What the hell am I paying you for if you're just going to sit around while I'm being attacked?"

"She's a ninja boss." Waraji pointed out cautiously. "You get that close to a ninja while we're on the other side of the room, and there's no way we could get to her before she injured you. Besides, you called us off afterwards, remember?"

"Spare me your excuses!" Gato barked angrily as he settled into his chair still seething at what that bitch dared to do to him. That's the problem with shinobi, they always forget their place! Bad enough that they were a bunch of unnatural freaks –as if doing things like blowing fire out of their mouths wasn't bad enough, the one time he'd bothered to attend a Chuunin Exam in Kiri he'd seen a man pull one of his own _bones_ out and use the thing like a sword, grinning all the while!- they charged outrageous prices for their services, balked at carrying out any orders given to them by non-shinobi, and actually had the gall to _attack_ him? Him!? Unforgivable! "I thought you two were supposed to be among the greatest swordsmen of your former clans? Seems to me like-" He continued berating his subordinates, only to be interrupted by an unknown voice.

"Don't be so hard on them, Gato. After all, there's a reason the Hidden Villages are considered to be the premiere military forces of the Elemental Nations."

Gato started, even as Waraji and Zouri froze with their hands on the hilts of their swords. For standing in between them, seemingly resting his arms about their shoulders was a blond teenager. Someone who Gato was sure wasn't there half a second ago. "Who are you?" Gato demanded, only to stand up ready to run when he noticed the knives nonchalantly resting against the throats of his bodyguards. Knives that were only used by one kind of people. "What do you want, shinobi?" he continued, desperately trying to keep the fear he felt at an unknown shinobi had infiltrating his office with such ease hidden.

"Please, calm down." The shinobi requested through a wide smile and closed eyes that he probably thought was reassuring. Gato had seen more honest emotion on a week old corpse than in that smile. Which did nothing to ease the terror gripping him as he pondered his chances of making a run for it. "I didn't come here to harm you, Gato. I came here to make you an offer."

Swallowing, Gato tried to put on a confident air as he ordered, "If you want to discuss business with me, then release my men. I don't deal with people who hold me at knifepoint."

The blond shrugged, "Only if you agree to hear me out. And of course, only if _they_ agree not to try to kill me."

Gato kept up a confident visage as he nodded, and once the ninja's arms retracted, quickly signaled his bodyguards to move over to him and, at least for the time being, not to attack the intruder. Though he didn't stop them from drawing their swords. After all, it was about time he showed this bastard who held power here. Feeling more in control of the situation now that his bodyguards were free –and they really _were_ quite skilled killers in their own right- Gato sat back down in his chair, leaning back and crossing his legs while peering down his nose at the little shit that dared try to intimidate him.

Now that he wasn't somewhat blocked by the bodies of his men, Gato could see that the ninja was just a kid, no older than Zabuza's bitch. Oh, he had some scars and weird tattoos on his face, but that was just more ninja freakishness in Gato's opinion. The kid was dressed in a forest green shirt, black pants, black shinobi sandals, and a brown woolen jacket over the whole ensemble, though Gato could still spot some pouches here and there, as well as a hilt of some kind peeking out near the kid's shoulder. What he _didn't _see was a Hitae-ate of any kind, something that even missing-nin tended to wear near-religiously. "Now, who are you, and what could you possibly offer me that would keep me from having you killed?" Gato demanded regally as if his chair were a throne and the kid a peasant seeking his favor. "I don't forgive threats of any kind, so for your sake, you'd better make this worth my while."

The kid's smile didn't change in the slightest –his expression might as well have been an actual mask for all Gato's keen eye were able to tell about his emotions- as he answered somewhat cryptically. "My name isn't important for right now. What _is _important is that I'm one of the shinobi protecting Tazuna."

That certainly caught his attention. And Gato's shrewd mind didn't miss the way the little bastard was keeping his Village affiliation a secret. "I see." Gato mused distantly. "And I suppose you came to convince me to leave the old fool alone, is that it?"

"Actually, I came here to offer to kill him for you." The kid replied bluntly. "You _do_ still want him dead, yes?"

Now this was interesting… "And how much money do you expect me to pay you for that?" Gato asked semi-rhetorically. "And why should I trust you if you're so willing to betray your client?"

"I don't want your money." The kid countered, drawing a surprised blink from him. What was this kid's game?

"What I want," the blond ninja continued. "is your influence. To be used in my favor in the future."

"What sort of favor?" Gato asked with honest curiosity. He'd never come across someone who didn't want his money. It just never happened. So the kid's words were quite intriguing to the business mogul if only for the sheer novelty of it.

"The leader of my Village and I are in…disagreement, with one another." The blond explained carefully. "Under any other circumstances, I'd either just leave, or perhaps try to kill the Old Man. But, he has some information that I won't leave without, and since I don't have the kind of support to force him to give it to me, I need the influence of others, preferably influential clients, but a powerful man like yourself can be just as beneficial to me."

"Me?" Gato asked with fake modesty. "Am I really that important? I hardly think so." He paused to withdraw a bottle of sake from a drawer, pouring himself a glass before continuing. "I'm just a businessman trying to make a living."

The brat actually snorted at that. "Yes, you're just a businessman…" he opened his slitted eyes to stare at him pointedly as he took a sip of his drink. "One who's smart enough, and capable enough to effectively seize control of a small nation almost without effort."

Gato just raised an eyebrow, though inside his thoughts were racing, wondering how he was going to arrange the deaths of an entire team of shinobi without leaving any evidence of his hand in it. After all, it wouldn't due to let word get out about his activities here in Nami no Kuni. Not only would his profits take a hit from the extremely negative publicity, but there was no way any of the neighboring nations would stand by and allow a "simple merchant" to take over a nation as he had. Setting aside the nobility's pride, they wouldn't want to give anyone in their own countries any ideas. On the outside, he simply chuckled ruefully. "I see Tazuna's been spreading his wild tales again. I assure you, I have nothing to do with the sad state of this nation, though I've tried to have my security personnel help keep order where they can. Admittedly, it was the almost collapse of Nami's economy that brought me here in the first place, but I'm only interested in gaining products cheaply that I can later sell for a profit."

"Hmm, I'd say you're wasting your time then, if you expect the people of this country to recover from their "economic depression". In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a plague started up soon. With the conditions in this city alone, it wouldn't surprise me if one hit any day now and wiped out a good chunk of the Daimyo's court. Of course, perhaps with Gato Corp nearby, order could be restored relatively quickly."

Gato smirked openly now, dropping any pretenses. After all, the brat pretty much just called bullshit, and there's no point keeping up a façade for someone who would never leave these islands alive. "I'll want his head as proof that the deed is done."

The blond nodded his head in understanding. "But of course, although, I'm going to have to ask you to send half a dozen or so of your more…expendable, mercenaries to the bridge so I can make it look good. And in the confusion of the "ambush" someone will make off with Tazuna's head. I'll receive a reprimand no doubt, but with the dead mercenaries, I'll have an acceptable excuse for my failure."

Gato's smirk widened at the kid's plan. It wasn't anything special, but it would get the job done. And best of all, he wouldn't need to pay either this kid, _or_ Zabuza. "That's acceptable to me, although Tazuna's family needs to go too. They'll serve as an example and a reminder of what happens to those who defy me."

Gato's eyes narrowed when he saw the slightest of frowns tugging at the kid's lips. "Actually, if it's all the same to you, I'd like you to leave Tazuna's daughter and grandson alone."

"Oh?" Gato asked dangerously, not liking it at all to be countermanded like that. "And why should I do that?"

The ninja shrugged, "Don't get me wrong, I personally don't really care what happens to the brat, but it would mean something to Tsunami."

_'Heh, fucking teenagers, always thinking with their dicks.' _Gato sneered internally, certain of what the boy's motivation was for sparing the daughter. "I see…" Gato leered as he leaned forward slightly. "You have a taste for older women, huh?" When all the brat did was shrug again, Gato's leer became a scowl. "I don't care if you want to fuck the bitch or not, either kill Tazuna and his family, or there's no deal."

This time he got a reaction out of the kid, even if it was only a tightening of the eyes and a thoughtful tip of the head. For a moment, Gato thought he'd have to give the order to have this insolent bastard killed, before the brat finally nodded. "Very well then, I'll see to it that the daughter and grandson are…disappeared."

Pleased, Gato leaned back in his chair once again, waving towards the door dismissively. "If there's nothing else, get out, and don't come back without Tazuna's head."

The kid half turned to walk towards the door before pausing and glancing back. "Out of curiosity, what are your plans for this country after Tazuna is dead? Strictly so I will know when anything that could benefit you pops up."

Gato snorted in disbelief. "Nothing kid, I'm already getting everything I want out of this country. I'm making a killing in the lumber industry, and my drugs are raking in cash, both from clients, and from harvesting the organs from those idiots who don't have the money to pay for their next fix."

"I would have thought the organs of habitual drug users would be unsuitable for transplant?" the insolent punk interrupted.

"Of course they're unsuitable, but the fools buying them don't know that. They just want to live, and are willing to pay whatever I want for the chance. And if they die? Well, transplants are a risky business." Seeing the boy was effectively silenced, Gato couldn't resist continuing his bragging, just so he could show the bastard who he was dealing with. "And I'm making millions off the slave trade here as well, seeing as how many people are willing to sell themselves just to feed their families for a couple of days."

"Slaves?" the kid asked in open surprise, and perhaps a hint of disgust if Gato was reading him right.

"Of course kid. There's a market for slaves pretty much everywhere outside of your Hidden Villages. Of course, most of the ones I take are sold in Mizu no Kuni –with all the depopulations from their civil wars, they depend on slave labor for damn near everything from growing their food to rebuilding their cities. Hell, even Nami had a slave market –in this very city no less!-before I came. Of course, they called it "indentured servitude", but it was no coincidence that nearly all of those "indentured servants" were working to pay off the money spent nursing them back to life after they were "taken from the sea". Which really meant, after Nami pirates raided their ship and dumped them in the ocean. Hell, one of the first things I had to do when taking over here was to wipe out all the God damn pirates." _'Well, those that I didn't hire on myself anyway.'_ Gato mentally added. _'Too bad Kaiza wouldn't take my offer. He and his crew would have lived longer.'_ Enjoying the look on the kid's face, Gato sneered. "Tazuna isn't really a threat kid. The only reason I don't want that bridge built is because it's easier and cheaper to maintain my hold on Nami without it, not because I can't control this place if it gets finished! I've got the Daimyo and at least half of his court so addicted to my opium; they'd gladly do anything I say! Why else do you think no one in this backwater place has bothered to actually try to fight me? Their own leaders didn't lift a finger when I rounded up the inhabitants of the six least profitable islands and shipped them off to be sold!" There it was, there was that look of utter surprise and astonishment on the bastard's face. The look that Gato always savored time and again throughout his life when he proved his superiority to those who thought themselves his _equal_.

Wanting more Gato couldn't resist chuckling. "Shit kid, what did you _think_ I was going to do?"

The ninja blinked out of his stupor and tried to replace his mask of stoic uncaring. "Honestly? I thought you'd officially take over as Daimyo somehow or other, then start using the carrot now that the stick had done its job. Once you'd rebuilt Nami no Kuni to either its former "glory" or beyond, I figured most of the people would willingly follow you out of honest loyalty to the man who put food back on the table. Well, that, or out of fear that you might take it away again. After that, I figured you'd target another island nation and repeat the process over and over until you were the sole ruler of the majority of the island nations between the mainland and Mizu no Kuni." Gato stared at the ninja gobsmacked, which he seemed to take as a sign to continue. "You see, I know you built Gato Corp from the ground up, going from a simple merchant to one of the richest men in the world in the process." He paused for a second before shrugging. "No offense, but I thought this was simply all part of some power play to make the jump to nobility status."

Gato couldn't help it, he burst into ridiculing laughter. "Why the hell would I want to do something like that? I already have power equal to that of most daimyos just by running my business! And besides, do you have any idea how much money it _costs_ to run a country? Sure, you could get some of the money from taxes, but you'd still need to pay for a lot of it out of your own pocket! Shit, I don't even like paying my _own employees_, why would I want to pay for all those people who don't make me a profit?" Calming down, Gato smirked cruelly. "No kid, I'm just in this for the money. Although, I _will_ move on from here eventually, all that that means is I'll retain my ports and control of the country through the local, _legitimate_ Daimyo. I'll probably have to wait a few years after that before I pick a new island if I want to try for a repeat."

"…I see." The kid said after a moment. "Well, at least I learned that now, rather than later when I'd be acting on those assumptions. Things are actually much simpler this way." The kid paused again, seemingly deep in thought, before turning back to the door. "Well, in that case, new plan. Don't bother sending the mercenaries, this will all be over before sunrise."

It was Gato's turn to blink in confusion, before he jolted back as he saw the ninja moving his hands together. Waraji and Zouri knew what that meant as well, and dashed forward, swords raised in an attempt to kill the blond before he finished. And then the kid was gone. Eyes wide, Gato looked around the office, trying to find the little bastard. Yet all he saw was his desk, Waraji, Zouri, the blond kid standing to the side, and a few paintings. Nowhere that could serve as a hiding place for the kid. Unless of course, he was one of those _really_ unnatural freaks.

Still, one never knew with shinobi –part of the reason why he hated them- so he gestured towards Zouri to check the door. "Make sure he's really gone." He hissed angrily, trying to cover up his fear in front of his underlings. Zouri cautiously crept past the blond kid and slowly opened the door and peered out. After a moment, he stepped back in and hesitantly sheathed his sword. "Looks like he's gone, boss." Zouri reported warily. "What do you want to do about him?"

Sinking back into his chair, Gato irritably barked out "What do you think I want done? Get some men together and be ready to kill him when he comes back! And he better not make it all the way to my office next time!"

Zouri nodded, and then looked over at Waraji, who'd yet to sheath his sword. "You can relax man, he's gone."

Waraji continued staring around the room suspiciously, his sole eye pausing near the blond kid with the kunai for a moment before moving on. "I can't help it." Waraji admitted. "The way that little bastard just appeared and disappeared has me nervous. It reminds me of the stories they used to tell back in Tsuchi."

Gato sneered angrily, still seething over the insolence of that shinobi and the way he'd dared talk to him as if they were _equals_. As if Gato wasn't so far above the brat as to be practically a god! The bastard had even dared to give him an _order_ at the end! "I don't give a rat's ass about your stories-"

Gato's mind didn't even have a chance to register the kunai that suddenly appeared in midair before he died.

* * *

Naruto sighed in equal parts regret and relief as he tugged the third kunai out of Gato's skull before cleaning it off on the man's sleeve and returning it to his pouch with the other two. Regret that he'd lost the opportunity to recruit a man as powerful as Gato to his cause. Honestly, someone with enough business savvy to turn themselves into a multimillionaire _and_ have the ability to seize control of a country like this would have been a welcome ally. Relief that Naruto had found out exactly what kind of man Gato was _before_ he did something that couldn't be taken back. Like deliberately failing a mission by killing his own client.

Naruto was honestly more than a little shocked at just how badly he'd misread Gato. Even when the midget had demanded that Tsunami and Inari share in Tazuna's fate, Naruto had been sure he could work around it. After all, he'd only promised to "disappear" the two. Which meant he could have easily taken them with him when they left to return to Konoha. Although, he'd had no idea where he'd drop them off, nor how he'd get them enough money to support themselves. But if that was the extent of Gato's unpleasantness, Naruto was willing to deal with it. Learning that Gato was not simply a power hungry man grasping for more power had honestly surprised Naruto. From what he understood of civilians outside the Hidden Villages –the wealthy ones in particular- they almost all aspired to somehow force their way into the local nobility of whatever nation they made their home in. Something that was easier done in some nations more so than others, although it was often just a pipe dream regardless. With his wealth and his apparent ambitions for more -judging by the corporation he'd built- Naruto had been sure Gato wanted to skip the nobility and go straight for the title of Daimyo. And once he'd succeeded in that, to move on to gaining even more power.

Instead, Gato turned out to be a greedy man, who simply wanted more money, despite already being among the richest in the damn _world_. From Gato's gloating, nothing was too vile a method of making money in his opinion. I mean, stealing _organs_? Who does that? And then selling _diseased_ organs to people who were desperate for a transplant? Fuck, the man was a psychopath! No, in the end, Naruto had no choice but to accept that Gato's support, no matter how useful –and it would have been very, _very_ useful- would end up being a liability Naruto couldn't afford in the long run. Especially if anyone else Naruto tried to recruit learned of his involvement with Gato's activities. Listening to Gato ordering his death hadn't made Naruto any fonder of the sick fuck either. And seeing as he had no reason to let the man live, while having _plenty_ of reasons to kill him, Naruto did just that. The mercenaries in the alley proved just how simple it was to kill a man when he couldn't recognize you as a threat. The ease with which he'd killed Gato and his bodyguards –three thrown kunai, one for each skull- only confirmed it.

Having already searched the office for anything of potential value –_'might as well get _something _out of tonight' _being all of the justification he needed- Naruto pondered what to do with the corpses. Unlike the mercenaries earlier, these three were guaranteed to be missed. So, did Naruto leave the bodies here to be found in the morning by whomever, and see if someone stepped up to take command? Or should he take them with him in the hopes that their absence would cause some chaos among Gato's forces? _'Hmm…from what Daichi was screaming at me, it sounds like each band of mercenaries runs itself, but Gato still needed to gather the captains together every few days to make sure they all played nice…' _Naruto mused to himself. _'and seeing as how those worthless shits living in this country aren't liable to do anything anytime soon to drive them out…why not see if not being reminded to play nice gets some of those mercenaries to kill each other off? Maybe seeing mercenaries fighting each other would be enough to get the people of Nami no Kuni to get off their asses and _do_ something.'_

Nodding to himself, Naruto pulled out his empty sealing scroll and carefully unrolled it on the floor away from the puddles of blood and brain matter. Once that was done, he carefully moved the bodies of Gato and his bodyguards one by one, and then sealed up their corpses in it before leaving. At worst, he could always unseal the bodies and leave them somewhere public. If the sight of Gato's corpse hanging in the market wasn't enough to get the people to act, nothing would. Although, he couldn't help but wonder if any of Gato's people would come after Tazuna now since Gato wasn't around to tell them to? It was certainly something to think about.

* * *

Naruto awoke slowly the next morning, and immediately wanted to roll back over. Not only had he gotten back pretty late last night, but he'd had a hard time sleeping for several reasons. One of those reasons being the adrenaline that was still pumping through his veins, which while annoying, would have gone away after a bit.

Second was the self-disgust that was still teeming in the back of his mind over what he had done to Daichi. No amount of resolve or attempts to learn from the incident would make the disgust just disappear.

Finally, was an emotion that he'd rarely experienced; doubt. Naruto couldn't help but wonder, if he could misread the situation with Gato so badly, how could he ever expect to succeed in his future attempts to recruit the kind of people he'd need? He'd literally been a single question away from making a mistake that would have had terrible repercussions not only for him and his plans, but for an entire nation of people. And while Naruto might be willing to ignore some suffering –even on the scale of what was happening in Nami no Kuni- if it helped him succeed in his own goals, Gato had crossed so many lines, far more than Naruto had ever believed possible, that Naruto doubted he could have accepted the man's aid even if it was guaranteed to bring the Old Man down.

It didn't help that Naruto now knew that Tazuna had likely been telling the truth –or at least some of it- after all.

No, it had not been a restful night for Naruto at all. At the same time, he knew he couldn't afford to go back to sleep, lest his teammates suspect he'd been up to something last night. The last thing he wanted were any questions about his whereabouts and activities. So, as much as he wanted to go back to sleep, Naruto reluctantly pulled himself to his feet, dressed, and headed down to breakfast with the others.

Sitting down in what had become his seat and watching over Tsunami's cooking it didn't take long for him to notice the way he couldn't bring himself to meet her eye whenever she looked his way, which was weird considering he felt no guilt whatsoever whenever he met Tazuna's eyes. He found that extremely odd, considering that the old drunk was the one Naruto had been plotting to kill.

Forcing himself to avoid looking in Tsunami's direction –which was quite hard as she was still cooking his breakfast and Naruto instinctively wanted to stare suspiciously- he lazily took note of the others at the table, as well as the one absence. It wasn't until Tsunami began serving the meal that he finally asked, "Where's Sasuke at?"

"Sasuke-kun already left to work on his tree climbing." Sakura replied moodily, shooting small glares at Kakashi from time to time.

Naruto turned to her with a frown. "Then what are you still doing here? I would have thought you'd be out there with your precious 'Sasuke-kun'."

"I would be if Kakashi-sensei wasn't trying to sabotage our relationship!" Sakura hissed angrily, drawing an incredulous look from Naruto and a sigh from Kakashi.

"I told you Sakura, I want you to guard Tazuna today. Naruto did it yesterday, so I'm giving him today off. And between you and Sasuke, you're the farthest along with your tree climbing." Kakashi drawled, sounding as if he'd said all this before. Then he got a gleam in his eye as he glanced at Naruto. "Besides, given Naruto's personality, I'm afraid he might throw Tazuna _off_ his bridge if he has to spend too much time with him. It's better this way."

Naruto glared at Kakashi indignantly at this slight to his character. Never mind the whole, 'was planning to kill Tazuna until last night thing'; Kakashi had some nerve making statements like that! Especially after he'd saved _his_ life from Zabuza, _and_ been proven right about Tazuna! Not that Kakashi knew about that last part, but it was the principle of the thing!

Ignoring the light chuckling from the others, Naruto concentrated on eating his food, barely paying any heed when Tazuna impatiently dragged Sakura out the door, or how Tsunami rushed off after a sulking Inari, though he couldn't quite keep his sigh of relief to himself.

Thinking about what to do with his free day, Naruto wondered if he could get away with going back to sleep. He really _did_ like his sleep after all, and it's not like he had anything else to do…except he _did_ promise to meet Haku today. And while he had no real obligation to Haku, Naruto didn't really want to hang around here where every look from Tsunami made him feel sick, or where he'd be forced to think about his near-misses the other day.

No, spending the day awing a pretty, if simple village girl with his stories sounded far more appealing. Maybe he'd let her watch him do some simple training exercises? It had been a while since he'd really focused on his chakra control –even if his makeshift seal _did_ grant him near perfect control, his chakra stores still grew as he aged and trained, which meant he still needed to practice if he wanted to keep that level of control- and considering he still wanted to attain perfect control _without_ his seal, he really did need to put some more work in. Especially since he still couldn't quite get the Kokuangyou no Jutsu to work. _'Although…'_ Naruto mused to himself. _'Maybe what I need are a few test subjects…ones that I don't have to worry about reporting me to the Old Man…or going insane.'_ His first thought had been to ask Haku for help seeing as how she seemed to desire to be helpful, but he really thought the girl was too nice for him to risk frying her brain if he made a mistake. All those mercenaries hanging out in the city however…

* * *

Haku grumbled tiredly to herself as she cautiously made her way back to the clearing where she was to meet Naruto. She had to be even more careful than usual, as not only did she need to avoid any of Gato's mercenaries, Haku had to avoid _being seen_ avoiding them by Naruto. If he saw her displaying such skills, her ruse would be over, and he'd have the advantage of getting the first strike in.

What really put her in a bad mood however, was that while Naruto had agreed to meet with her again; neither of them had specified a time. This meant she had to be there first thing in the morning just to ensure that she didn't miss him if he actually kept his word and showed up, on top of barely getting any sleep once again.

Sighing at her lack of foresight, Haku tried to calm herself by going over Zabuza-sama's instructions one last time.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Uzumaki?" Zabuza-sama interrupted her report incredulously. "Impossible…are you sure that's what he said his name was?"

"I'm certain, Zabuza-sama." Haku confirmed dutifully even if she didn't understand the significance. "Do you know of that clan? I've never heard of them before."

He grunted with a thoughtful look on his face. "Not much outside the old stories. They're a dead clan…a _long_ dead clan in fact. It was said that they were as feared as the Senju and Uchiha clans, though not as powerful overall. Supposedly gifted with incredible longevity and life force they were the founding clan and rulers of Uzushiogakure no Sato, in the island nation of Uzu no Kuni to the northeast." Zabuza-sama paused thoughtfully. "I suppose the stories might have exaggerated the hair color bit, but…"

Haku waited patiently as Zabuza-sama trailed off with a calculating look in his eyes. Admittedly, she was a little surprised that he seemed more interested in Naruto's last name then the fact that the Konoha shinobi didn't suspect he was still alive, or that the bridge builder was lightly guarded. It made her wonder just how powerful the clan must have been that its name still inspired caution in a man like Zabuza-sama, several decades after said clan had been destroyed.

"Haku!" Zabuza-sama's stern call shook her from her thoughts. "I want you to go back to that clearing and meet the boy again. Find out if he has any skill at Fuuinjutsu."

"Fuuinjutsu? Why?" Haku asked in surprise. While a powerful art, few had the time or the patience to master it. So how talented could a fourteen year old boy be?

"The Uzumaki clan were true masters of Fuuinjutsu, which is what made them so feared. Supposedly they were even able to seal a Bijuu away within moments of finding it." Zabuza-sama explained impatiently. "No one else could ever match such a feat, and their entire _clan_ was incredibly skilled at the art. If this brat _is_ an Uzumaki, then he might be far more dangerous than we thought."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama." Haku consented with a bow. Finding out what Zabuza-sama wanted wouldn't be easy though. After all, it's not like she could just walk up to him and ask if he knew Fuuinjutsu without completely abandoning her act. She'd have to find a way to get him to bring it up himself.

"Don't be discovered." Zabuza-sama ordered gravely, unintentionally mirroring her thoughts. "I don't want Kakashi to have any inkling I'm alive until I'm hacking him into pieces. But if you _are _discovered, _do not_ let the blond live. I can't deal with a true Uzumaki _and_ fight Kakashi at the same time. Especially one as sneaky as that brat."

* * *

**Flashback Ends**

A tricky problem to be sure, but Haku thought she had an idea that would work, _if_ she could somehow maneuver Naruto into giving her the right opening. It was the _how_ that was still eluding her.

Of course, she'd also have to come up with a more thorough background history for when Naruto inevitably inquired about her. It would certainly be strange if he didn't, since that would be incredibly rude of him. Molding herself into her civilian personality, Haku traveled the last half mile or so to the clearing as a civilian in all noticeable ways. This was actually one of the more dangerous parts of all this, as during the time she approached and left the clearing as a civilian she would be unable to defend herself properly should anything untoward happen. Be it being discovered by some of Gato's men, or by some random missing-nin, or worse, the Oinin of Kiri, there would be no way Haku could defend herself without exposing her true self. And Naruto would undoubtedly notice such an event.

Luckily avoiding anyone, Haku smiled with genuine gratitude as she entered the clearing to find Naruto already present. At least she wouldn't have to wait for who knows how many hours for him to show up. Moving closer and half-raising her hand in greeting, Haku halted in surprise at what she found. Naruto was once again asleep, leaning up against a tree as he did so.

Shaking her head, Haku went ahead and placed her basket on the ground before approaching him. Just like yesterday, there was no reaction from the sleeping ninja at her approach. And considering that she wasn't using any shinobi skills to do anything to avoid detection, that was rather sad. _'How on earth does he stay alive when he's such a deep sleeper?' _Haku wondered as she knelt down beside him. _'You'd think his parents or his sensei would have broken him of that by his age…'_ Shaking her head ruefully, Haku tried to put a "pout" in her voice as she shook him. "Naruto-sama, I've told you, you'll catch a cold sleeping outside like this."

After a few seconds of shaking, Naruto blinked blearily, and then gave a sigh of his own. "And I've told _you_ it's dangerous to approach a sleeping man in the middle of nowhere. Especially when you _know _he's a ninja."

Haku just sat back with a huff. "I don't believe you'd ever harm me, Naruto-sama. Besides, this time you didn't grab me and-" Haku trailed off abruptly with a very real blush as she looked away. Thinking of the previous morning had reminded her of just what happened the last time she woke him up. Specifically, what she'd been able to feel pressed against her.

Judging by the awkward way Naruto cleared his throat, he remembered too. "A-anyway, did you have any trouble getting home yesterday?"

Genuinely grateful for the change of subject, Haku just shook her head. "No, it was still early enough that no one was really awake yet. Although I did have to rush breakfast a little and burned one of the fish, so Master scolded me." Haku added with a slightly airy tone.

"What a dick." Naruto muttered with a frown. "After getting up and risking a run in with Gato's men just so you could get some herbs to help _him_ recover, he has the balls to complain that you burned his breakfast a little?"

"He is not!" Haku glared at him angrily for that comment, even if he was upset for her sake. Made up story or not, she wasn't about to let _anyone_ bad mouth Zabuza-sama. Then she realized this was a perfect chance to find out what Zabuza wanted to know. "Master has always been good to me, even when everyone else wanted nothing to do with me! He took me in, and lets me study about herbs, and…and…and he's even teaching me how to write, even if he hasn't been able to since he was hurt! So don't you go badmouthing him!" The bait set, Haku waited anxiously to see if Naruto would fall for it. Regardless of whether or not his statements were based on genuine concern for her, or just an attempt to get on her good side, if he followed through with it, Haku would have him right where she wanted him.

"You don't know how to write?" Naruto blurted tactlessly, though at least he seemed to realize it, even if it was too late.

Affecting a look that mixed hurt, embarrassment, shame, and anger all in one, Haku shrank back from him slightly, internally smiling when he winced.

"Sorry, that was pretty rude of me, huh?" Naruto apologized almost immediately.

"Yes, it was." Haku sniffed, before smiling gently. "Still, I suppose it _could_ have just been a slip of the tongue…"

"It was!" Naruto was quick to agree. "I was just a little distracted from last nig-."

Haku blinked at the way Naruto's face hardened into the stoic mask as he cut himself off, before he glanced her way and the mask began to crack, glimpses of guilt and regret leaking out as he hesitantly asked, "Haku, do you…do you ever go into the city? Since Gato showed up I mean?"

Haku blinked curiously, while on the inside her mind was racing, trying to figure out why Naruto would ask that. Had he heard someone in the city talking about her –or a description of her at least? Did he suspect she wasn't who she said she was? What should she say? Mindful that he was awaiting an answer, Haku simply nodded with a slightly confused expression. "Of course, Naruto-sama. Sometimes, I need to go shopping for food or on an errand for my master. Although things have become more rundown lately."

The cracks widened before Haku's eyes, and then Naruto completely blindsided her. "Have you ever…been attacked while in the city? By anyone, whether they were Gato's people or Nami citizens?"

Haku couldn't help but gape at him for a moment as the meaning of his words sunk in. "Of course not! I mean, it's been a while since I've been into the city, but surely things haven't gotten _that _bad?!" _'Right?' _

"I was in the city last night…" Naruto began slowly, an obvious battle raging in his mind. "I saw some…_things_ that really disturbed me, and then I had to step in to prevent a rape."

"That's terrible!" Haku exclaimed in genuine horror. "Thank goodness you were around to save the poor girl, Naruto-sama! Who knows what might have happened if she'd been alone."

"That's just it!" Naruto growled as he clenched his fists. "Those bastards took her right off a street with _scores_ of people on it and not _one _of them did _anything _to help!"

Haku felt sick to her stomach at those words, bringing back unwanted memories of a little girl with a chain and collar around her neck.

Pushing those memories –along with any guilt she felt over her role in Nami no Kuni's situation- to the back of her mind, Haku shuffled forward slightly to take Naruto's hands in her own and gazed into his eyes with genuine admiration. "Thank you, Naruto-sama." Seeing his confusion –though whether over her words on the way she was holding his hands, Haku couldn't tell- she continued. "Thank you for saving that girl…and for caring enough about me to ask about it."

Naruto actually blushed slightly and turned away, looking more embarrassed than anything else. After a moment of silence, Naruto suddenly asked, "So, you haven't been able to practice writing for a while, right?"

Internally sighing that he finally seemed to be taking the bait, Haku nodded with a slightly dejected air. "Even if Master wasn't hurt, it would still be too expensive to buy the paper and ink for me to practice with."

"Well, I kind of wanted to do some training today, so if you want, I have a blank scroll you can write on, and I've got a brush and some ink you can use as well." Naruto offered not unkindly. "I can write out the alphabet for you, and you can practice writing the individual letters while I'm practicing."

_'Perfect.'_ Haku thought to herself as she beamed happily. "That's very kind of you, Naruto-sama! But are you sure I won't distract you from your training? I wouldn't want to get in your way."

Naturally, Naruto assured her it was no problem, and soon Haku found herself making messy, exaggerated copies of individual letters on a blank scroll, chatting pleasantly with Naruto as he walked up and down the tree she was sitting against. She already knew that his chakra control had to be good since he had been able to stand on the lake with Zabuza-sama, but it never hurt to confirm that he could also perform this lesser exercise. And if Naruto could do it so well that he could spend an hour casually walking up and down trees just to stay in practice, it seemed likely that his teammates could do the same.

Still, while useful to know, it didn't bring Haku any closer to finding out about the boy's ability in Fuuinjutsu. Although, the speed with which he'd written out the alphabet on the scroll, along with how neatly his writing was, suggested that Zabuza-sama may have been right. Still, it wasn't quite enough for Haku to decide whether or not Naruto was truly the threat Zabuza feared he might be, and regardless of how much she was enjoying acting like a normal girl –at times having to remind herself that the only reason she was there was to gather information- Haku knew she needed to force the issue somehow.

Waiting until Naruto had neared the base of the tree once again, Haku began to make her writing even sloppier and making frustrated sounds. When Naruto came close enough to crouch down on the side of the tree and peer over her shoulder, Haku slumped slightly, before noticeably brightening and looking back over her shoulder so that Naruto's face was inches from her. "Naruto-sama, can you help me with this one? I can't seem to get it right, no matter how many times I try." She smiled even wider when she saw how it took a few seconds for Naruto to register her words, and Haku felt a slight thrill at how he tore his eyes away from her with a noticeable blush. It was nice to be acknowledged as pretty by a boy, especially one that was as nice and kind –if slightly tactless- as Naruto seemed to be.

"Er, sure." Naruto stuttered slightly as he dropped from the tree and crouched next to her and took her brush hand in his own. Of course, as he leaned over ever so slightly to lead her hand carefully through the necessary movements, Haku couldn't fail to notice how solid his body felt as her back pressed into him.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Haku leaned back into him even more, taking in the lean muscle that seemed to make up his chest and abdomen in the process. No, this wasn't the body of a rookie Genin fresh from the Academy as the pink haired kunoichi seemed to be. This was the body of a shinobi who trained his body hard and regularly. She also felt some kind of knife near his shoulder, possibly the very blade that had impossibly blocked Zabuza's counterattack the other day. It took Haku only a fraction of a second to determine all of this, yet that was apparently too long as Naruto was looking at her strangely.

Panicking slightly, Haku impulsively turned her head and planted a slightly lingering kiss on Naruto's scarred cheek, drawing a startled reaction from him and a blush from herself. "Thank you for your help, Naruto-sama." _'Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_ Haku berated herself as she turned back to stared down at the scroll, moving her hand slightly in an attempt to get Naruto to resume "helping" her. Her heart raced as she feared she'd just destroyed her chances of continuing her charade –and in the process sparing Naruto's life- by acting far too forward with him. They'd only "met" just yesterday!

Haku couldn't help but remember the few occasions in the past when men had taken her light flirting as an open invitation to do _much_ more, and she'd been hard-pressed to stop them without revealing her true self or killing them. And that was just words! What would Naruto think he could do now that she'd actually kissed him? Only on the cheek sure, but a kiss nonetheless! _'Would he act as those men did?'_ Haku wondered as she fearfully glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye only to blink in surprise. Naruto's face was not only a fiery red, but he looked absolutely confused and embarrassed as well! When Naruto awkwardly avoided her gaze and began going through the motions of writing once again, Haku released an internal sigh. _'Thank God, I haven't ruined everything!'_

She allowed a few moments of silence to pass before commenting, "Naruto-sama has such precise and neat writing… did you have to practice this a lot when you were growing up?"

Seemingly thankful for the distraction, Naruto shook his head. "Not really, but being precise is really important when dealing with Fuuinjutsu."

Holding back a triumphant grin, Haku asked, "Phooey jutsu? What's that?"

"No, no, _Fuuinjutsu_." Naruto corrected with an indulging smile. "It means "the Sealing Arts" and it's usually used to seal something into another object using chakra and specific seals, but it's actually an incredibly versatile art has a lot of other uses like…"

Haku made sure to act the part of an uneducated girl hearing of something extremely complicated for the first time, while inside she was listening intently, both to find the right questions she could ask to gain the information Zabuza wanted, and because she was actually genuinely interested in what little Naruto was willing to say on the subject to someone outside his Village. From the sounds of things, Fuuinjutsu was amazing, and Haku resolved to do what she could to learn it in the future.

* * *

That night, Naruto couldn't stop rubbing his cheek as he sat down to supper with Tsunami, her family, and the rest of Team Seven. To be blunt, Naruto wasn't sure how to react to Haku's "thank you" kiss. Partly because Haku _was_ a pretty girl about his age, and partly because he'd only ever been kissed by three females in his life. Kurenai kissed him on the forehead or the top of his head from time to time, but he'd long since grown used to that, while Hanabi was just a little girl being affectionate with her "Niichan", and _that woman_ was long dead.

Haku on the other hand, was neither a little girl, nor was she Kurenai by any means. So Naruto was stumped, both on how he was supposed to react to said kiss, as well as what Haku meant by it. He hadn't known her all that long, so Naruto had no idea if she was naturally that affectionate, or if she had a crush on him, or if it was something else.

He was so lost in thought, that he completely missed Inari's soft-spoken "Why?" Unaware, Naruto continued to eat, silently amazed at how good a meal Tsunami could cook with so little. Perhaps he should see if she'd be willing to teach him her secrets before they left? He might not burn meals anymore, but he was still far from a great cook.

"Why are you all trying so hard?!" Inari suddenly shouted, jolting Naruto from his thoughts. "No matter how hard you train, there's no way you guys can beat Gato! No one can!"

It took every fiber of Naruto's control not to laugh at that. Even in spite of that, he couldn't help but let out a quiet snort. Despite how much he wanted to point out to Inari that not only was Gato dead, but that it took Naruto all of _two days_ after arriving in Nami no Kuni to do it, Naruto didn't dare do so. One would think that killing a merciless tyrant like Gato would grant Naruto quite a bit of admiration and gratitude from the people sharing supper with him. In reality, while Tsunami would no doubt be grateful to know Naruto had avenged her husband's death, the others would undoubtedly ask certain questions that Naruto couldn't afford to answer. Things like, "how did you find Gato" or "how did you even know what Gato _looked_ like" or, "what are you thinking performing unsanctioned assassinations". Nope, Naruto didn't need _that _kind of trouble at all. Still, the look on the brat's face when he threw his words right back at him would have been perfect in Naruto's humble opinion.

Instead, Naruto glanced at Inari's barely touched plate and calmly said, "Eat your food." The heated conversation around him about how Gato was no match for trained ninja and how Inari needed to be more respectful to the people protecting their family –from Sasuke and Tsunami respectively- died instantly.

"I'm not hungry!" Inari proclaimed with the sort of arrogant finality that only children seemed to possess.

No longer amused, Naruto met Inari's glare with one of his own. Inari started and nearly fell on his ass when he noticed –apparently for the first time- Naruto's slit pupils. Taking a calming breath –and reminding himself what happened the last time he'd lost his temper- Naruto drawled his words slowly, as if he was speaking to the dumbest child on the planet –which to Naruto, Inari was pretty damn close to. "There are children younger than you starving in the streets. I imagine damn near any one of them would gladly cut off their own arm to eat that food on your plate. Food which you're own _mother_ has been starving herself to feed you. Sit down, and eat your _God damn supper_."

The reactions to that statement varied greatly, from the surprise on Tsunami's face, to the sort of surprised guilt on Tazuna's, or the confused look on Sakura's. But all Naruto really cared about at the moment was Inari's reaction. He was confused for a second, before he seemed to pull his head out of his ass long enough to realize that Naruto had been telling the truth. Then he just scowled once again and shouted, "None of you understand what it's like to suffer!" Naruto clenched his fists angrily at the little shit's attitude as he ran from the room, leaving the dinner table deadly silent.

Tsunami looked like she was about to apologize, but trailed off somewhat fearfully as Naruto got up. Naruto wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it probably wasn't for him to reach across the table to pick up Inari's plate, and then scoop the food onto her own. "You really shouldn't starve yourself, Tsunami." Naruto admonished sternly, but not unkindly. "I know you're just trying to look out for that brat, but the last thing he needs is to lose his mother as well."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Sakura asked, still trying to figure out what was going on.

Meeting Tsunami's eyes, Naruto answered the questioning look he saw there. "You're a lot like Kurenai. She would have done the same thing if she were in your position." In fact, Naruto knew she had done exactly that early on when she took him in, as money had been tight for a time, thanks to Naruto destroying both their apartments and Kurenai trying to avoid taking missions in order to spend as much time with him as she could. Returning to his meal Naruto ignored the other Genin regarding him curiously, though the way Tazuna was glancing at his _own_ plate in shamed realization didn't escape his notice. _'Fucking prick.'_ He mentally sneered, his previous disgust for the old drunk only growing.

* * *

"Mind if I join you?" Kakashi asked as he approached the sulking child sitting at the water's edge. He didn't really wait for an answer either, but considering he was still suffering from the effects of chakra exhaustion, he preferred to sit if not lay down whenever he had the chance. Besides, he really felt he needed to have this conversation with the boy. Both as sort of an appeasement for what had been said earlier, and to hopefully help the boy overcome his depression. On the whole, Kakashi disliked depression quite intensely. A side effect of watching his own father's downward spiral into suicide. At the same time, he really felt that he needed to have this conversation with Inari, as the boy was seemingly unaware of how close Naruto had come to attacking him. Luckily, Kakashi hadn't needed to intervene as his student's respect for Tsunami seemed to be enough to keep Naruto from lashing out at her son.

Sitting down next to Inari, Kakashi stared out over the waves for a moment before finally saying, "Maa, Naruto didn't really mean any harm with what he said. He just doesn't always interact well with others." Kakashi semi-apologized for his student, who he knew well enough to know meant _exactly_ what he said.

Glancing over at the child, Kakashi was slightly irritated that his morose expression hadn't changed in the slightest. In fact, it didn't look like Inari was even listening to him. "Tazuna told us about your dad." _That _caught Inari's attention. "Naruto's a lot like you in that respect. Actually, he's never known _anything_ about _either _of his parents. And his childhood…well, the truth of the matter is, he's had a far worse life than you." Kakashi explained, feeling the old heart-wrenching guilt that always struck him whenever he thought of Naruto's life, and the many ways Kakashi felt he and the Village as a whole had failed him.

Inari glared at him with a childish indignity, obviously upset that someone else could claim to have had it worse than himself. Suppressing the urge to go into great detail about the atrocity that was Naruto's childhood, Kakashi continued with his normal lackadaisical tone. "Yet despite all of that, I've never seen Naruto cry. _Ever_. Not that it's wrong to cry per se, but we should always strive to avoid needlessly harming those close to us, no matter how upset we are. I imagine your mother and grandfather feel the sting of your words most, and you should be more considerate to them. You don't have to forget your pain, but you should at least consider the rest of your family, and strive to help them in whatever way you can."

Seeing the boy seemed to be honestly considering Kakashi's words, the silver-haired Jounin considered speaking further, but he knew Naruto wouldn't appreciate how much Kakashi had already divulged about him. Any further, and Kakashi would have far more trouble from his sensei's son then he was willing to deal with…well, more than he was willing to deal with over a random child that he'd likely never see again anyway. With that thought in mind, Kakashi stood up, wished the boy a goodnight and headed back inside, leaving the boy to his thoughts.

* * *

**Translations:**

Fuujin=Wind God

Did I miss any?

* * *

**AN: **

And that is chapter twenty-four. Ironically, this time it's the scene with Inari and Kakashi that bugs me. Let's see, what else do I want to talk about…

The situation with the mercenaries in the city was about showing how some of Gato's mercs were little more than sadistic killers, while others were simply there to do a job and didn't go out of their way to antagonize the locals more than necessary, while yet others didn't care one way or another. Basically, that despite working for Gato, the mercenaries aren't universally evil. The mercenaries are basically soldiers to a certain degree, and soldiers like to drink and party, and generally have a good time when they're off duty. In my platoon, the saying is "Work hard, Play hard". Hence the situations with the bars. The mercs protect the bars and the people who work there because that's where they go to drink and have fun. Some of the local women that hang out in those bars_ are_ prostitutes, some willingly, some because they're desperate. Yet others are there because they choose to be, because they have friends or lovers among the mercenaries. Believe it or not, not every occupying army goes out raping and pillaging the locals. There's a reason why only about 25% of the populations of nations occupied by the Nazi's and their allies actively resisted or collaborated with the armies occupying their homelands before the Allies began liberating them.

The scene with Hitomi and the mercenaries, while a little cliche, was mostly about going over how easy it is to for Naruto to kill people who can't see him, give Naruto something to go apeshit over and lose his control -which haunts him in many ways- as well as finding out how to find Gato/how Gato runs things. The last thing it was about will be seen in later chapters.

In this chapter we now see some details of _how_ Gato was able to take over, though this is only based on my own theories and logic, not Canon. A combination of getting the Daimyo and much of his court dependent on Gato for their next fix –something that could have been accomplished as easily as Gato inviting a minor daimyo to a party or vice versa, and Gato introducing said official to the "newest craze" which could then lead to Gato subtly getting said official to introduce it to the rest of the court before they realized how addicting it could be- which kept the Samurai from fighting back since the man they're loyal to is telling them not to touch Gato.

While this was going on, he'd still be establishing his monopoly on the shipping industry, while simultaneously hiring the many pirates/privateers hanging around the islands.

In this universe, Nami's greatest military asset during the previous wars –the last world war taking place only a decade ago yet Nami wasn't absorbed by any of the larger and more powerful nations implies they had some means of defending themselves- was their small but elite Navy, and a far larger number of privateers. By being able to repel any attempted naval landing by the warring nations, as well as launching effective raids elsewhere to keep the focus away from them, Nami was able to maintain its independence. The problem of course, being that once the wars were over, those privateers were suddenly unemployed. And as has happened throughout history, unemployed privateers turned to piracy, right up until Gato offered them a regular paycheck to work for him. And since the Daimyo's navy wasn't going to fight them, let alone hire them on, the pirates/privateers were more than willing to work for Gato since the man had the Daimyo's blessing.

So once Gato had hired as many as he could/needed, he wiped out all of the pirates/privateers who _wouldn't_ work for him, and with Nami's official Navy being ordered to stand down by their ruler, Gato was able to effortlessly impose his blockade.

And yes, I did imply that Kaiza himself was actually a pirate/privateer. Mainly because a "traveling fisherman seeking opportunity" didn't seem very…I don't, realistic? That's not quite the word I'm looking for, but when you look at the guy, with a very distinct X scar on his face, fisherman isn't the first thing that comes to mind. It's likely that X scar is actually two scars, which implies the guy had been in some fights in his time, and seeing that he was apparently Nami's greatest hope before Gato killed him, it just seems to me like there should be more to his story. So, he was a pirate/privateer, one who probably fought in at least the last Great Shinobi War to protect Nami, and given how everyone idolized him, he was probably a decent if not great leader of men. So I made him a pirate. Note, being a pirate doesn't automatically make him an evil man any more than being a mercenary working for Gato does.

On Naruto deciding to kill Gato, that was always my intention, but the reasons for it changed as I went along. Originally, what Naruto thought was Gato's plan really _was_ Gato's plan, and he and Naruto would have come to an agreement. Naruto was going to start setting things up to smuggle Tsunami and Inari out of the country, while setting Tazuna up to die. Then there was going to be some confliction for Naruto as he and Tsunami slowly grew somewhat closer due to his respect for her and her gratitude to Naruto and his team protecting her family. In the end, Naruto was going to have a change of heart when Tsunami was attacked while in the city and Naruto was going to go on a Genjutsu assisted warpath to avenge her. As seen in this chapter, when you can't even recognize the threat as a threat, it become very easy to get yourself killed. And that's without adding in the rest of Naruto's shinobi training.

This all changed as I was writing the summary in my notes for Naruto's meeting with Gato, as when looking through the manga to get a feel for Gato's character, it occurred to me that for a rich guy, Gato is pretty cheap. He doesn't like to spend money if he doesn't have to, and building a nation out of the various islands would not have been cheap. Not unless he intended to do to them all what he did to Nami in Canon and drain all of the money away from them, and such a nation would collapse fairly quickly as the populations either left or starved to death. So in order to create such a nation, Gato would have had to spend a shitload of money, which goes against the greed that he displays. So, instead I altered my plans to be more in tune with the kind of guy Gato is, where he'd become so obsessed with gaining more money that he destroyed the nation of Nami in all but name before just leaving. The situation in Nami was unique enough that he was able to pull it off, but he likely would have had to actually wage war on the other island nations in order to take control of them. And wars cost money. Something that Gato would have had to largely pay for himself.

In the end, I think I like this version a little more than the original, as Naruto deciding that being linked with someone like Gato would not do him any favors once word eventually leaked out about what had happened in Nami. And since he couldn't afford to work _with_ Gato, and deciding to continue a mission that works _against_ Gato, Naruto took the logical step of cutting off the head of the snake when he had the chance.

Anyway, let me know what you think, particularly if you have any ideas for improvement, or any questions on my version of what happened in Nami. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome, especially if it can help improve this story.

Peace, Vaan.


	26. Chapter 25

**Words-227196, Chapters-26, Reviews-1017, Hits-595501, C2s-139, Favs-1739, Alerts-1740**

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**AN:** So much for an updating schedule. Still waiting for this chapter and the next to be proof read, but I've got a bit of writer's block, so I'm hoping any new reviews will help me get over it. An edited version of this chapter will be uploaded as soon as I get it. Finally got another chapter of Reckoning out as well, so please remember to check it out. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 25 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**Chapter Twenty-Five**

The next morning passed rather nicely for Naruto, who was able to spend much of it asleep. With Sasuke having finished the tree walking exercise the day before, the Uchiha was tasked with escorting Tazuna while Sakura was to stay at the house with Tsunami. So, having nothing else to do, Naruto naturally decided to catch up on his sleep, before Kakashi kicked him out of the house for "lazing about". Damn hypocrite.

Heading out into the forest once again, Naruto couldn't help but wonder if he'd run into Haku once again. Between all of the free time he seemed to be getting lately, and with Gato and Zabuza dead, spending his days hanging out with a pretty girl seemed like an excellent way to pass the time. And he _really _enjoyed hanging out with Haku! That kiss on the cheek had confused him, but after that, he had to admit he rather liked the sensation of the civilian girl's lips pressed against his flesh.

So it made his day when he found her once again in what Naruto was beginning to think of as _their_ clearing. She was kneeling down over something that Naruto couldn't see, but he was easily able to hear her cooing ecstatically over something that was apparently "so adorable!"

Curious, Naruto made his way over to her, being careful to make enough noise so as not to panic her. When she looked up, Haku's face brightened happily as she saw him. "Naruto-sama, come quick!" Smiling slightly at the girl's enthusiasm, Naruto moved to peer over her shoulder at whatever had captured her attention. He was surprised to see a couple of young rabbits, barely more than kittens really. More specifically, he was surprised by the fact that the generally skittish creatures were quite happily crawling around on her lap, though they were quick to cower away from him.

"What's wrong? Haku cooed to the little things as she tried to coax them back out into the open. "Don't be afraid, Naruto-sama wouldn't hurt you. Right?"

Blinking when he realized she was actually looking at him for confirmation, Naruto shrugged and answered honestly. "Well, they might be a little on the scrawny side, but they probably have enough meat on them to make a half-decent lunch." After all, he _had_ promised himself that he'd try to bring back some game to the house to ease the burden on Tsunami. Unfortunately, while Naruto had thought he was answering a hypothetical question about whether or not he'd ever harm the creatures, Haku apparently meant here and now, judging by how teary eyed she got as she rushed to scoop the rabbits into her arms and twisted to put herself between him and the creatures.

"Naruto-sama, how could you?" Haku demanded, obviously upset though Naruto didn't have the faintest clue as to why. "They're just babies!"

Naruto blinked, completely blindsided by the glare Haku was giving him over the animals cowering in her arms. You'd think he'd just suggested they go out and steal a baby to eat or something!

Even stranger, when Naruto remained silent, Haku's glare began to lose some of its potency, and she began to fidget slightly. What did she expect him to say? Granted, Naruto understood that she liked baby rabbits and thought they were cute, but come on! Nami no Kuni was practically in the middle of a famine!

Her fidgeting grew worse, and then she was suddenly babbling, "Please don't hurt them, Naruto-sama! They're just babies and they haven't even had a chance to live yet, and if it's food you want, you can have some of mine, and how could you even think of hurting such cute little things and-"

"Alright, alright!" Naruto hurriedly interrupted before things could get any weirder. "I won't eat the rabbits, I promise! Just calm down already!" To his great relief, Haku seemed to relax, and that unidentifiable, yet terrifyingly hollow look in her eyes faded away as soon as he made his promise. There was a story there, Naruto was sure, and he was also sure that he didn't want to hear it. At least, not at this stage.

This was not to say that Haku instantly trusted him, as she still stared at him suspiciously as she set the rabbits down and shooed them away, all the while keeping herself between him and the fleeing creatures as if to physically prevent him from going after them. How she thought that would work, Naruto didn't know. Only when they had disappeared into the underbrush did she finally seem to relax back into the mannerisms Naruto was used to seeing from her. Although she still did give him a scolding look as she handed him a small container filled with a few rice balls and several slices of fish.

Of course, Naruto wasn't really hungry, but at this point he couldn't really refuse either, not after all the craziness before. So instead, Naruto looked back up at Haku. "Aren't you going to join me?" He asked, drawing a start from the girl.

"Join you?" Haku asked, her head tilted to the side in confusion. "But, it's for Naruto-sama…"

"But it's _your_ lunch, and you should be allowed to eat it. It's only fair after all." Naruto countered with more confidence, shuffling over so he was sitting on the ground next to her and taking a single rice ball before handing the rest back to her. Haku appeared conflicted for a moment, but then she smiled at him and leaned over to help herself.

Letting out a silent sigh as Haku began chattering on about some rare herb she found that day, Naruto relaxed and nibbled on the surprisingly tasty rice ball. He preferred her like this, when she was a mixture of gentle innocence and genuine helpfulness. That said, Naruto kept a careful eye on her for any signs of that frightening hollowed eyed look she'd displayed earlier. It made him wonder if she hadn't recovered from her parents' deaths as much as he had thought.

Still, it was almost impossible _not_ to smile when she was like this, all cheerful and happily talking about everything and nothing. Her good mood was simply infectious, and Naruto was very happy she'd stumbled across him earlier that week. He imagined he wouldn't be handling his close call with Gato _nearly_ as well otherwise without her calming presence.

Still, all good things must come to an end, and shortly after they'd finished their meal –Naruto making sure to complement her cooking and grinning happily when he got her to blush cutely as a result- Haku began gathering her things. Naruto searched his mind for something he could say that would prolong their meeting –and with it, his relaxed mood- but was unsurprised when he came up with a blank. After all, he didn't interact with all that many people –and if he was honest with himself, only had one _actual_ friend around his age- so he sort of expected this kind of social awkwardness he felt around Haku.

Catching movement out of the corner of his eye, Naruto turned and was met with Haku kissing him on the corner of his mouth.

And in all honesty, it felt great! Greater than any kind of pleasure he'd ever felt before, and considering his sneaking suspicions that Teuchi spiked his ramen with some kind of super addictive drug, that was saying something. Turning to face Haku fully, Naruto stared at her fiercely blushing face for a moment, before leaning in and giving her a light kiss in return.

Naruto would like to say something about how he was just returning the favor, or how he instinctively knew what he was doing. It would certainly sooth his ego if he did. But the truth was, Naruto kissed her simply because he wanted to feel that pleasure once again, even if it was all a misunderstanding and she didn't want to kiss him or vice versa. In fact, in a distant part of his mind, Naruto realized that it probably _was_ a misunderstanding. If he hadn't turned his head at the last second, Haku would have ended up kissing his cheek, which while odd to him, probably wasn't anything special to Haku.

Leaning back, Naruto waited for Haku's reaction as her blush grew if that was possible, her fingers reaching up to feel her lips. Naruto didn't try to look away as Haku stared into his eyes, searching for _something_ though Naruto didn't have the slightest clue what that something was. As the moment stretched on, Naruto began to feel like he'd crossed a line, only to blink in surprise when Haku hesitantly grabbed his jacket with one hand and lightly tugged his face back to hers so she could give him a light kiss of her own.

Naruto couldn't believe his luck –he'd been certain he'd overstepped some boundaries there- as he happily returned the kiss. Then the kissing suddenly became more heated, and things got a little fuzzy for him after that. Oh, there were parts that Naruto was sure he'd remember until the day he died to be sure, what with this being his first kiss/make out session and all. Things like Haku's scent, some kind of berry and the crisp rain, or the way she moaned when he held her close. Though for some odd reason, he was sure he'd remember how she liked to run her fingers through his hair, or the oddly strong grip she kept on his jacket. Other things like time however, seemed absurdly unimportant.

Eventually, Naruto was forcefully drawn back to his senses by something pushing against his chest and a breathy gasp of, "N-Naruto-sama…wait…stop."

It took a second for all that to register, but quickly enough Naruto realized the pressure on his chest was Haku's hand pushing him away lightly, followed by the meaning of her words. Pulling back slightly, Naruto blinked as he discovered that he was lying on top of Haku, resting on his elbows with one arm wrapped around her waist while the other was still cupping her head. Haku's own hands remained tangled up in his hair and coat respectively, and her face had a slight sheen to it, which Naruto figured out after a moment was saliva. Saliva that he realized he could feel on his own face as he panted slightly, just inches from Haku's face. Then, for some reason he couldn't quite explain he found the knowledge of _how_ the saliva got there made him blush. It was obvious from their position that their simple kiss had gotten very much out of hand, but it was equally as obvious that neither of them was experienced in the apparent art form of making out. He had no other explanation for how…sloppy…they had gotten.

"Naruto-sama," Haku repeated, bringing Naruto out of his –admittedly ecstatic- thoughts. "I…I really like you Naruto-sama."

Naruto couldn't resist grinning widely at that, inadvertently causing Haku's breath to hitch slightly.

"B-but still…I…I think we need to slow down a little…please? I'm really not ready for…you know…" Haku trailed off bashfully.

Naruto stared blankly at her for a moment, wondering just what she was talking about, before his eyes dropped slightly down to where the top of her kimono had loosened sometime during their kissing. Then his eyes widened as Haku's rosy blush and bashful eyes took on an entirely new meaning. Swallowing nervously, Naruto nodded in –somewhat reluctant- agreement as he carefully got off of her and helped her to sit up. Whatever he'd intended to say however, evaporated as her loosened kimono revealed a fair amount of skin –not that that was saying much, considering how modestly the kimono had covered her, but in that moment, she might as well have been wearing one of Anko's mesh shirts as far as Naruto was concerned.

He managed to force himself to look away, but his mind was still blank on what he should say or do now. Did he act like nothing had happened? Because, it seemed pretty obvious that something _did_ in fact happen. But what was he supposed to do then? He should probably say something, right? But what was he supposed to say? Wow, that was fun, let's do it again? Granted, a part of him wanted to say just that, but even in his frazzled state, Naruto was pretty sure that wouldn't end well. Then again, Naruto had also been sure Haku wasn't going to kiss him just the other day and look where they were now.

Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Haku looking just as flustered, sending furtive glances _his_ way. The moment their eyes met, they both simultaneously opened their mouths to say something, only to stop, and quickly look away. _'What do I do? What should I say?' _Naruto wondered with a hint of panic. He didn't have a clue just what it was Haku and he had between them -hell, he didn't even really understand what drove him to _kiss her_- but damn it, he _liked_ it! He wanted it to _work_!

Just as he opened his mouth once again –what he intended to say, even he had no idea- he was interrupted by a loud peal of thunder, which might as well have been a starting signal as the storm clouds that had snuck up on them began to let loose. Naruto could tell that the rain would be picking up in intensity shortly, but he could probably make it back before he got too wet. Haku on the other hand, in that sleeveless kimono of hers… "Here, take this." Naruto offered as he pulled his coat off after a cursory check to make sure he'd left nothing in the pockets. "You'll be completely soaked by the time you get home otherwise."

Smiling shyly, Haku nodded and pulled the slightly too large jacket on, snuggling into it in a strange way as she glanced up at him bashfully. "Naruto-sama…I'm going to be pretty busy for the next few days." She told him, causing his stomach to drop unexpectedly -something he had no explanation for- before she continued. "If…if you're still around after that…do you think we could see each other again?"

Seeing the hopeful look on her face, Naruto couldn't resist grinning as he agreed.

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Haku couldn't stop thinking about Naruto as she effortlessly darted through the trees on her way back to the compound. To say that the day's events had been a surprise would have been like saying the Yondaime Mizukage was slightly off.

At first, Haku nearly inadvertently threw everything away with her uncontrolled reaction to Naruto's comment about those baby rabbits. A horrible risk, and over something so tiny and so insignificant…she really had no idea what she'd been thinking. Her desperation just seemed to come out of nowhere. Thankfully, Naruto seemed as equally confused as to how to handle her outburst, and Haku had managed to salvage her act before it was too late. Sharing her lunch with the boy didn't really mean anything to her, simply just another part of her act. She'd offered him the food to get his promise not to harm the rabbits and to cover her own slip up, so she'd had no choice but to follow through.

Kissing him... kissing him had been a calculated risk. Haku hadn't seen anything in Naruto's actions one way or the other about what he thought about her kissing his cheek the day before, but Haku felt she only had two choices. She could not repeat the previous day's actions, and thus give the impression that the kiss had meant something more than Naruto might have thought at the time, or she could kiss him on the cheek as a goodbye today, and hopefully convince him that she was just an affectionate person as a result. A perfectly calculated gamble, one which failed to consider a rather important possibility -namely, that Naruto might _move_.

Partially kissing Naruto had surprised and shocked her, and if Haku was being completely honest with herself, she had panicked. That her civilian persona was giggling excitedly hadn't helped matters in the slightest. And while she had been struggling to find a way to salvage her deception, Naruto took the matter out of her hands by kissing her back.

Haku had been shocked to find that she _liked_ the kiss. That it was her first kiss wasn't lost on her either. Still, as enjoyable as it had been, Haku didn't _really_ have any intention of repeating the act. It was just, as she searched Naruto's eyes for any sign of…well; Haku wasn't really sure what she had been looking for. Deception maybe? What she had _found_ however, was a yearning that she recognized. A yearning to be accepted that she had seen reflected in her own eyes when she was younger, before Zabuza-sama had taken her in. Oh, there had been other things in his eyes, like nervousness, or optimistic hope. But Haku's mind had already been made up. Besides, what was one more light kiss before she took her leave?

Except, that one light kiss had quickly turned into two, and then three, and then the light kisses were replaced by hungrier, deeper kisses. After that, well, Haku wasn't too sure about after that. She'd gotten a little lightheaded at some point, though some things stuck out in her mind. For one thing, kissing had been…messier, then she had expected. Although, the enthusiasm in learning what pleased the other had been obvious in both Naruto's actions and her own. And for the life of her, Haku couldn't remember if Naruto had pushed her down to the ground, or if _she _had pulled him down to it. She _did_ remember the hilt of his knife digging into her chest uncomfortably however. Haku might have ignored that slight discomfort in favor of the feel of his hair in her hand, or the way his arms wrapped around her, were it not for the fact that the feel of metal on skin had let her in on the fact that her kimono had come loose at some point, and that things were well on their way to going _too _far.

Stopping Naruto had been strangely easier and yet harder than she had feared. The former because all she had to do was push him away and ask him to stop. The latter because a shockingly large part of Haku didn't _want _him to stop kissing her.

Haku couldn't help but giggle to herself as she remembered the look on Naruto's face, both when he'd grinned at her and the sheer embarrassment when he noticed the state of her clothes. Tugging Naruto's jacket closer around her, Haku breathed deeply, still able to feel his body warmth and smell his scent. It was almost as if Naruto were still holding her tightly, which Haku found to be kind of an addicting feeling, having to restrain her odd urge to chase the boy down so she could have the real thing. _'I'll just have to see if I can get him to do it again next time.' _Haku smiled fondly to herself_. 'Although, I'm not sure how to get him to hold me without being too forward-'_

Haku came to a sudden halt, arms dropping to her sides as she bowed her head in horrified shock. "What are you doing?" Haku whispered harshly, her fists clenched so tightly that her palms were bleeding. "What the _hell_ do you think you're doing!?" Haku repeated angrily before suddenly slapping herself with all her strength, nearly knocking herself over. "He's a threat to Zabuza-sama! An enemy! Someone you might already have to kill! So why are you actively trying to make it harder than it needs to be!?" Haku breathed harshly for several minutes, before finally calming down enough to continue on her rant. "You're not that girl…" she reminded herself pointedly. "You can never _be_ that girl. So stop _trying_."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Haku formed one of her ice mirrors and stepped through it, into her room back at the compound. Once there, she quickly removed Naruto's coat and threw it on her bed, as if by discarding the article she could discard the false emotions she'd accidentally inflicted on herself, before leaving to check on Zabuza-sama.

She found him forcing himself through various exercises in an attempt to speed up his recovery. Haku wanted to scold him, but knew from past experience that he wouldn't listen to her, being far too stubborn and driven to just lie down and allow his body to recover on its own. Not because he didn't trust her diagnosis, but because he'd never been able to accept any kind of weakness or limitation, least of all in himself.

Not that she had a chance to scold him anyway, as the moment she walked in; Zabuza-sama glanced up at her and immediately confronted her. "God damn it…" he sighed resignedly though with a hint of anger. "Please tell me it's not the Uzumaki boy."

Haku froze in confusion, wondering just what he meant by that. Surely he didn't know how her latest meeting with him had ended? "Tell you what's not Naruto, Zabuza-sama?"

"That he's not the one you're infatuated with." Zabuza growled irritably as he sat down and rubbed at his temples. "I was _so sure_ I'd nipped this in the bud too…though I suppose it's to be expected. You are about that age after all."

To say Haku was caught off-guard would be an understatement. "I-I don't know what you mean, Zabuza-sama! I'm not infatuated with Naruto!"

"Of course you are." Zabuza spat back. "You think I can't see your puffy lips or the dirt on the back of your kimono?" Haku could only splutter as Zabuza continued. "I _told _you, I need a _tool_, not a friend or a companion. I was certain you'd taken that to heart, especially since you never tried any of that lovesick crap with me. But it turns out; you _are_ still a girl, despite my efforts to prevent this _very thing_ from happening."

"Zabuza-sama! You've got it all wrong!" Haku shouted as she finally found her voice, too distraught to notice her clenched hands or the way Zabuza arched an eyebrow at her as she continued. "It's not like that with Naruto at all! It's just a part of my deception, a way for me to extract more information from him!"

"And I'm sure you learned something quite interesting." Zabuza snorted. "Look Haku, I'm not angry with you. Everyone discovers the pleasures of the flesh eventually. It's just that you picked the _worst _person to be your first." Shaking his head again, Zabuza stood up and resumed his training. "Listen close Haku, I don't want you distracted when we make our move on the bridge builder, and this is the kind of thing that could end up haunting you for the rest of your life, which would make you useless to me. So I want you to go ahead and have your way with the Uzumaki brat."

Haku felt like she'd just been punched in the gut. "Zabuza-sama…do you really think of me that way? Like some…some Terumi _hussy!?_"

"Stop worrying so much about what is "proper". I don't care if you spend the next two _days_ fucking the boy, just make sure you get this out of your system, and be ready to be a true shinobi when the time comes. Once I've killed the bridge builder, we'll be leaving this shithole of a country, and you can't take the boy with you for obvious reasons." Zabuza ordered gruffly, not even turning to look at Haku as her body shook as if he was striking her with each word.

Nor did he turn when Haku struggled in vain to keep the bitter, shaken, and above all, confused tears that began to drip down her face. Unable to take it anymore, Haku fled back to her room, Zabuza's words ringing in her ears as she threw herself onto her bed, feeling as if her very being was being crushed by a wave of self-loathing. Barely even able to see through her tears, Haku grabbed Naruto's coat and pulled it around herself and buried her face in it, desperate for the comforting illusion of Naruto's arms around her.

Eventually, Haku managed to fall asleep, still wrapped in Naruto's coat, though with a slightly happy smile on her face. Although, as her dreams progressed, a blush quickly joined said smile.

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Naruto couldn't help but grin as he struggled to remain standing on the chaotic waves sometime after Haku had left. Something that was far harder than he was used to for that very reason. Back in Konoha, he'd done this exercise on ponds and streams, which were nowhere _near_ as choppy as the rivers here in Nami no Kuni. Which made it a _far _better chakra control exercise, making Naruto struggle just to stay upright let alone walk. Something Naruto was determined to accomplish before he left Nami.

_'Of course,' _Naruto thought to himself as he just managed to prevent falling on his face by channeling chakra to his hands. _'it would have been nice to know that _before_ I fell in.'_ Indeed, he had long since stripped down to just his pants as he struggled through the exercise, hoping the rest of his clothing would dry out sufficiently by the time he finished.

Although, he'd probably have more luck if he didn't keep thinking back on what happened with Haku earlier. Like how _good_ her lips felt on his, or the feel of her hands running through his hair –which was somehow a _far_ different sensation then when Kurenai did it- or the way her scent –_berries and crisp rain- _flooded his senses as he held her close, or how just being in her presence calmed him in such a way that he might have thought she was using Genjutsu if he didn't know better…or just Haku in general really. He'd gone for more than one swim when his mind concentrated more on the Nami girl than on the task at hand.

"Naruto?" _'Well speak of the devil.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he spun to face Haku-and nearly falling in again at her sudden appearance.

"Naruto, come here please. I would like to talk to you about something." Haku called from the shore, a small towel in her hands in place of the basket she usually carried.

Curious and struggling to keep his mind focused on the exercise now that Haku was there, Naruto was quick to comply. Although once he was back on land and Haku stepped closer, scolding him lightly about his health as she began drying off his upper body, Naruto became nervous. For one, the girl he'd just had a _very_ heated kissing session with earlier was now just inches away. Naruto was having a hard time concentrating with her scent filling his nose or the way her hands were rubbing his chest –albeit, through a small towel. In fact, Naruto was sure he hadn't heard more than a word or two of her lecture.

Then she tilted her head up, blushing in a way that Naruto found irresistible. "About earlier…I…I've thought a lot about it." Haku informed him as she stared through her lashes at him. "And…and I was a little scared by how sudden it all was, but…but I really liked it. Liked being with _you_ and…" Haku trailed off as she nibbled at her lip in a way that made Naruto…_excited_. "I wouldn't mind doing it again…with you that is…if you'll have me?"

Naruto wasn't sure when, but at some point, the towel had disappeared and Haku had taken to gently running her hands over his bare chest in its place. Swallowing, Naruto took a hesitant step forward, able to feel her breath on his lips as he slowly tilted his head down. "I'd like that. Being with you that is. I…well; I've never felt this way before…" Trailing off, Naruto struggled for words for a moment and then threw all caution to the wind as he leaned in to capture Haku's lips with her own. His heart –and libido- soared as she eagerly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. Feeling more confident, Naruto wrapped his arms around her waist, and then, unable to resist, let one of his hands slide down to rest on her ass, squeezing it experimentally.

Haku let out a half squeak half moan as she broke the kiss and leaned back to look up at him with an unreadable look. Fearing that he'd crossed a line –and kicking himself for being so stupid- Naruto tried to defend himself. Unfortunately, between kissing Haku again and…well, it was pretty much the kissing really, Naruto said the first thing that came to his mind. "What? You got to see me without a shirt on, so it's only fair." No sooner had the words escaped his mouth than Naruto was kicking himself over them. _'Only fair? Way to go jackass, you've had a…girlfriend?…lover?...whatever, for all of a minute and you've already fucked up.'_

Naruto opened his mouth to try to salvage something, only for Haku to slowly, _sensually_ release her hold around his neck to drag her hands over his shoulders, down his chest to rest on _her _chest with a sexy smirk. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" Haku asked huskily as she fiddled with the top of her kimono. "Relationships are all about equality after all…"

Naruto's eyes went wide as Haku slowly began to pull the top of her kimono apart, baring inch after inch of bare flesh torturously slow. And it didn't escape his notice that she'd done nothing about the hand _still_ resting on her ass. Unable to resist, Naruto gave another squeeze as his eyes were helplessly drawn to her chest, waiting for the prize she had promised him.

Haku let out another moan at his actions, and then said in a shockingly deeper voice. "Naruto! Wake up already!"

* * *

Naruto jolted awake and immediately felt like crying as he spotted Sasuke standing over him, just retracting his foot from where he had been nudging Naruto to awaken him. The bastard.

"Finally." Sasuke muttered irritably. "I was starting to think you'd never wake up. What kind of a ninja is a heavy sleeper anyway?"

Naruto normally would have returned the semi-friendly banter with some semi-good natured insults of his own, but considering the fact that Sasuke had just awoken him from one of _the_ best dreams he'd ever had, Naruto was quite understandably a little upset. So in his opinion, Naruto was perfectly justified when he dropped Sasuke with a well-placed punch to the groin, causing the "Last Uchiha" to collapse into a curled up ball as he let out a pitiful groan of pain. "I was having a good dream you asshole." Naruto growled as he desperately tried to drop back to sleep in hopes of returning to the pleasant dream.

The sudden kick to his already sensitive crotch brought a stop to that plan. "Sasuke, you bastard!" he wheezed in agony as he clutched himself. "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"Not if I kill you first you sonnuva bitch!" Sasuke wheezed back, also clutching himself.

Unseen by either, Kakashi had entered the room and was watching with a blank look on his face as they clutched themselves and wheezed various death threats at each other.

He debated the issue to himself for a few moments before shaking his head and heading down to breakfast. _'I'm not even going to ask.'_

* * *

Naruto sighed tiredly as he crawled into bed that night. He'd just spent the day watching over Tazuna and his precious bridge, and had spent the entire time bored out of his mind. With Gato and Zabuza dead, and no one else around to give the order to come after the old drunk, Naruto had been forced to stand around doing nothing but watch Tazuna's crew work –as well as several more quitting. Just another sign that Tazuna's efforts were pointless. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that Naruto had already killed Gato, he'd have some serious doubts about whether or not the bridge would _ever_ get finished.

Yet, without the imminent threat of Gato sending another assassin after Tazuna, Naruto found himself incredibly bored the entire time. He couldn't even continue his new variation of the Suimen Hokou no Waza as Kakashi would not only _not _approve of him training when he was supposed to be guarding the old drunk, he'd also asked some very pointed questions if Naruto tried to defend himself. So he'd been forced to entertain himself, mostly by thinking about Haku or adding on to his dream from the previous night.

Speaking of Haku…what exactly was he doing with her? Aside from fantasizing and dreaming about her that is. Naruto didn't really know what Haku meant to him, but he did know that he enjoyed her company -though he couldn't really explain why- and their…activities the other day. She was…fun. Haku had a way of relaxing him just by _being _Haku. Her kindness and desire to be helpful, even her naivety made Naruto's day brighter. And even if yesterday had been a fluke, Naruto knew he would miss her calming presence when he inevitably returned to Konoha.

_'Although…there's no reason why _she_ has to stay _here_.' _Naruto mused sleepily. _'Maybe I could convince her to come back to Konoha with me? Even without Gato, this country is still going to be a shithole for some years to come –assuming Tazuna ever finishes his bridge- and it's no place for someone like Haku. She deserves better than that.' _Of course, there was still the problem with her strange loyalty to her "master". She'd probably want to remain for his sake if nothing else. But was that really the kind of life Haku wanted to have? Serving an ungrateful bastard who was as likely to abuse her trust as he was anything else? No, Haku deserved _far_ better than that in Naruto's opinion.

_'Maybe I could "buy" her from the asshole. Nobles tend to be a greedy lot, and with the condition of _this_ country, Haku's master would probably be doubly so.' _That had some merit Naruto thought. He could probably get her for cheap too with the economy as shitty as it was here. He'd just have to think of a way to convince Haku to agree to it.

Naruto frowned as he realized the absurdity of his thoughts. Taking Haku back to Konoha would just be painting a target on her back for the Old Man. Not to mention giving Naruto yet another person to try to protect while simultaneously struggling with the Old Man. _'What the hell am I even thinking? I can't just drag someone I've known for a week into my problems.'_ And yet, despite knowing that, Naruto _still_ felt the oddest urge to hang on to Haku with a death grip.

Naruto's last thought as he drifted off to sleep was, _'Kurenai's probably going to be _pissed_ if I bring home my own servant…though she might not mind if Haku were my…'_

* * *

Teguse shrank in his seat and did his best to remain unnoticed as two separate groups of mercenaries in the bar with him began to rise from their seats. Teguse cursed his luck, wishing he'd chosen one of the other bars to look for marks- preferably one that _wasn't _patronized by mercenaries from rival bands. It would have been far better for his continued health if he had.

"What did you just say!?" a balding mercenary shouted drunkenly as he drew a sword that resemble an oversized machete more than anything else. "I dare you to say that to my face!"

"Fine!" another mercenary, this one with a hooded mask over his own face, shouted back as he used his spear to pull himself to his feet. "I said that piece of shit Daichi probably got what he deserved! Everyone knows how he treats his women after all, so someone probably decided to get even for their sister or wife!"

"That's rich coming from a Black Dragon bastard!" the balding mercenary shot back. "_Your_ captain is a God damned _pedophile!_ So where do you get off preaching about how Captain Daichi handles his women?"

Teguse winced and began looking for an exit, already knowing what was about to happen. He'd seen this basic scenario more than once since Gato took over. And to make matters worse, the mercenaries were between him and the door.

"You're fucking dead!" one of the Black Dragon mercenaries roared as he charged forward swinging a club bigger than Teguse's torso. That was all anyone else needed as a dozen men launched themselves at each other, hacking and stabbing anything in reach.

"Oh fuck this!" Teguse yelped as he hurriedly scurried to the door, knocking aside other non-mercenary patrons when necessary and even shoving a few onto mercenary blades whenever the fight got too close to him for comfort. Shit, he'd only come to this bar to try and pick a few pockets, not get caught up in a bloodbath! If someone were to ask _why_ he was there in the first place, he could make some bold declarations about only stealing back what belonged to the people of Nami no Kuni or some such drivel, but the truth was, the mercenaries and the workers of the bars they frequented were pretty much the _only_ ones in the city with a decent amount of money anymore.

Well, them or the "working girls" but Teguse wasn't about to try his luck with them. Not with the inherent risk that they might rat him out to the mercenaries. The bastards might work for Gato, but they didn't tolerate _anyone_ screwing with their sources of booze and sex.

Finally breaking free into the street, Teguse tugged his hat lower over his eyes and quickly made his way down the street, trying his best to avoid notice. The fight would draw the attention of the other mercenaries soon enough, both members of the two groups involved and the other bands Gato had in the city. The latter would put a stop to it quickly, more to protect one of their precious bars than because of any order from Gato.

Although, now that the danger of being skewered by some random thug had passed, Teguse couldn't help but notice that it was taking an awfully long time for other mercenaries to arrive compared to usual. Normally a fight like the one he'd just left would have mercenaries descending on the street by the dozens, looking to punish anyone they thought might have been involved. Yet other than the usual dregs, there wasn't a soul in sight.

"Not my problem…" Teguse muttered with a shrug as he put the thought out of his mind, before heading for the market. If he was lucky, he'd be able to catch one of the few _actual _shoppers, instead of the beggars and addicts he usually found. If he was _extremely _lucky, he'd even find one that had more than mere pocket change on them.

Sadly, after several minutes of searching, it seemed his shitty day had just gotten worse as all he could see around him were beggars and his fellow thieves. _'At this rate, I'll _never _scrap enough money together to escape this place.'_ He mused angrily as he scanned the crowds, watchful for any signs of _anything_ worth stealing. It didn't take a genius to see that Nami no Kuni was doomed, and like the panicked crew of a sinking ship, the people of Nami had two choices. Find a way out, or stay and die with the rest of the rabble. Unfortunately, escape cost _money_ something that was in short supply in the now isolated nation. Enough so that Teguse had to consider the possibility that he'd have to turn to more…_distasteful_ methods of obtaining funds.

"It's true! I heard it from Akaji down at the wharf that he heard from a man that his daughter was saved from some of Gato's goons by a Wind Spirit. Just appeared in a tornado of wind and disappeared with the girl, who reappeared safely in her bed." Teguse overheard a man babbling excitedly to another beggar as he walked by.

Teguse didn't even bother to consider the man's wild tale before discarding it out of hand. After all, between the rampant drug use and the general condition of Nami no Kuni, people were losing their minds every day. Hell, there was even a story going around about a village on one of the smaller islands that had come to the conclusion that Nami no Kuni had angered some kind of god or other and could only appease said deity by human sacrifice. According to the stories, the villagers had thrown themselves off a cliff overlooking the sea one by one, until there were none left. At least, that's what the Daimyo's people had claimed, lending at least a little credence to what would otherwise be a story told by junkies and doomsayers. Although, now that Teguse thought about it, he hadn't heard from anyone claiming to have been from that particular island since shortly before the stories began…

"Father please, you're being ridiculous!" a young girl sighed in exasperation as she and an older man left a nearby store and started walking in the same direction as him. "I'm perfectly safe working the night shift at the bar. Captain Kento and his men are always polite, and they never bother any girl who doesn't want their attentions. They even keep the other mercenaries in line, so there's never any trouble."

"I'm not worried about a few drunks, Inoue!" her father retorted harshly, actually catching Teguse's attention at the unusual display of fiery passion. "There's a monster on the loose, some kind of Wind Demon killing people!"

"A Wind Demon?" Inoue asked skeptically. "Father, have you been listening to that old drunk down the block again? The man was mad _before _Gato showed up, and he's only gotten worse since. Why do you let him rile you up?"

Teguse didn't get the chance to hear the man's response, as he spotted several mercenaries shoving through the crowd ahead of them, and he quickly darted to the side of the street, hoping to blend in with the beggars and such there. Not that he had any reason to believe the mercenaries would do anything to him, but it paid to be cautious. As a result, he got to listen in on another conversation that was eerily similar to the others he'd been hearing lately. "Did you hear about what happened down near the outskirts of the city? A dozen of Gato's thugs were suddenly struck blind, as if they'd been shoved into a pitch-black room." A ragged beggar was saying to the man next to him.

His neighbor, an equally ragged man shivered and stared ahead with a haunted look. "It was more than simply going blind, Akane. I was there. They were…_engulfed_ by utter darkness, even as I watched from by my fire…I could hear their cries, the utter terror as they stumbled around in that…that black _abyss _that came from nowhere." The man's eyes grew wide as if he was witnessing the end of the world before his eyes, an Armageddon that only he could see. "And then…the…the _darkness_ just disappeared. I don't know what those men saw within that blackness, but whatever it was, it _terrified_ them. One of them even committed suicide almost immediately after…that's when I heard it…an evil laugh on the wind. The last thing I saw before fleeing was these glowing, _demonic_ eyes staring back at me from the shadows..."

Teguse scoffed derisively at the obviously drugged out old man as he moved back into the crowd in search of a mark. Really, these wild tales were getting increasingly outlandish these days. A sure sign that people were starting to crack, and that Teguse needed to get the hell out of the country before it happened to him.

_'Although…' _Teguse thought with a frown. _'Things _have _been a little strange lately…dead mercenaries with no one being punished…not even a scapegoat! Mercs complaining about not getting paid the other day…'_ Teguse stopped and glanced around at the crowd, really _looking _this time. People looked…well, not optimistic or upbeat, but less…downtrodden. There was a new current in the air that was slightly familiar somehow, though he couldn't quite place it. What was it? _'I've seen something like this befo-'_ Teguse's eyes widened in shock as he glanced over a man that he recognized as one of Tazuna's work crew, finally placing the feeling. Hope. It was faint –hell, it was even fainter than that faint hope people had right after Tazuna started building his bridge- but it was there.

_'Shit. Shitshitshitshit!'_ Teguse started frantically chanting to himself as he moved with renewed purpose. Hope and despair was a very, _very_ dangerous combination, especially when you add starvation, poverty, and rampant drug use to it. Sooner or later, someone was going to do something stupid, and Teguse wasn't going to stick around to get caught up it. He'd barely survived the refugee purges following the end of the last Great War –and he hadn't even _been_ a refugee! - he sure as hell wasn't going to take his chances with whatever cluster fuck was on its way.

* * *

The stillness of the mist was broken only by the rasp of the stone Zabuza was methodically running down the Kubikiribocho. Not that the great sword _needed_ sharpening –and even if it did, it would be faster and easier to just go out and kill something- but it was a habit from his days as an Anbu before he'd joined the Seven Swordsmen. Besides, he enjoyed listening to the sound, and it helped to while away the hours until tomorrow.

Any planning or preparation needed for the final confrontation was long since done, so there really wasn't anything else to do but wait. Besides, the plan was fairly simple anyway. Go to the bridge in the early morning and shroud it in mist, then kill everyone who shows up. Wait until the bridge builder and any Konoha nin arrive, and then ambush them with Mizu Bunshin. If that doesn't work, draw Kakashi away from his team again, and then send Haku in to kill the bridge builder. Once the old man was dead, the fight would be over, and Zabuza could collect his money and move on before Kiri's Oinin found him. Not the most elaborate of plans perhaps, but it would get the job done.

No, his main concerns boiled down to the Uzumaki. The brat had already thrown Zabuza off once before, and he was understandably leery about it happening again. Especially since he'd learned the brat's surname. Uzushiogakure might have been destroyed before he was born, but the Uzumaki clan's notoriety was still strong enough when Zabuza became a Genin that stories were still told. Fuuinjutsu was never something to be taken lightly, even more so when the name Uzumaki was affiliated with it.

The brat only displayed Genjutsu in their previous encounter, yet Haku's reports showed that the Uzumaki knew at least _something_ of Fuuinjutsu. In essence, the brat was possibly a dangerous liability, one that he would ordinarily order Haku to dispose of immediately.

Unfortunately, that was unlikely to happen this time around. _'She would pick _now_ of all times to remember she's a young woman.'_ Zabuza thought resignedly. Granted, he'd always known it was going to happen sooner or later, but he'd hoped it would be when they were laying low in a village somewhere, with some farm boy as the target of her infatuation. At worst, Zabuza figured _he'd_ be the target, despite his best efforts to avoid that very situation.

As it turns out, Zabuza got a little of both. Haku _hadn't_ targeted him, which was great. But she had instead picked a shinobi, one who wasn't one of Zabuza's followers. Even worse, she'd picked an _enemy_ shinobi, on the most lucrative, most important mission they'd taken ever since fleeing Kiri. The _one_ mission that would finally put him in reach of his return to Mizu to liberate Kiri, and his second greatest tool, the subordinate that might actually _surpass_ him in the near future, decides she wants to be a hormonal love-struck girl.

_'I'd almost rather Haku decided to chase after _me_.' _Zabuza thought ruefully. _'At least then I could just shut her down and be done with it.' _It would have been a headache, but at least it would have been _simple_. Even as stubborn as the girl could be, she _would _follow his orders, regardless of how little she liked them. If a girl as soft as Haku could bring herself to kill on command, then surely she would listen if Zabuza told her to stop pining after him…right?

Zabuza paused for a moment of thought, before resuming his methodical sliding of the rock along his sword with a sigh. Who was he kidding? Haku spent the first decade of her life living in the _Mizu_ culture, not the Kiri one. There was a difference after all. Unlike Zabuza, who was born and raised in Kirigakure, Haku was raised on things like love and family, and all of those other weak beliefs that could _never_ survive in the Yondaime's Kiri. What few civilians were willing to live in Kiri were terrorized by the shinobi, and even among the shinobi ranks there was no room for weakness. That is, unless you were willing to be little more than a slave in peacetime, or a human shield in the time of war.

While Mizu no Kuni's relative isolation _had_ helped to keep them from suffering the brunt of the three Great Shinobi Wars, it also reduced the deterrent against _civil _war, something that was only made worse by the near-constant civil strife in Kirigakure itself, as each individual clan sought to seize ultimate control for themselves. Yagura didn't cause that, but he had certainly made things much, much worse during the last three decades of his reign. Yagura's Academy Graduation "ceremony" and his insidious anti-bloodline policies were only the two worst of his many atrocities.

And yet, after somehow surviving on the streets of Kirigakure by herself for months before Zabuza found her, and five years as his apprentice, both within Kirigakure and while on the run from Kiri's Oinin, after being put through the harshest training imaginable by one of the most ruthless of the Seven Swordsmen, Haku was still such an _unbelievably soft_ and _kindhearted_ girl. And that was why she was _weak_. Even with all of her nigh prodigious talent and the amazing potential of her bloodline, Haku just wasn't meant to be a shinobi. Which was a shame, because that's what he _needed_ her to be. Even if he had to crush her spirit and _beat_ the shinobi arts into her.

Some might call him cruel, but that wasn't quite accurate. Oh, he was cruel Zabuza didn't deny that, but one didn't survive in a place as cruel and bloodthirsty as Chigiri no Sato without being one ruthless son of a bitch. And Zabuza hadn't just survived in Yagura's village, he had _thrived._ Before he was five, Zabuza realized that Kiri would be destroyed by Yagura's policies –even then the village was rife with traitors and the number of shinobi who became missing-nin was greater than any _two_ of the other Great Villages _combined_, a number that was only growing- and by the time he was six he had already planned and was actively pursuing a coup against Yagura. By the time he was eight, Zabuza was completing the first stage of his plan by gaining notoriety and power. That he was able to do so by derailing Yagura's precious graduation policy was just icing on the cake. Taking the lives of one hundred wannabe Genin might have seemed like a terrible atrocity to outsiders, but the truth was, those students had been _far_ from innocent by that point.

When Zabuza actually attended and graduated from the Academy the following year, there was no shortage of powerful Kiri Jounin who desired to be his teacher. After all, a boy who wiped out one hundred Genin –in strength if not in title- before he had even _attended_ the Academy, surely he was destined for greatness. He'd even been observed by _two_ members of the previous generation of the Seven Swordsmen.

Over the years, he'd grown stronger, gathered loyal subordinates, was chosen to be an apprentice to the Kubikiribocho's previous wielder, joined the Kiri Anbu, and finally, was inducted into the Seven Swordsmen after killing his master and claiming the Kubikiribocho for himself.

Finally, after fifteen years of blood, sweat, plotting, and training, Zabuza had been ready.

The fact that he came so close, only to have his plans disrupted by a _secretary _of all things was absolutely humiliating. Why that bastard had to choose that exact moment to deliver a stack of papers to Yagura, mere _moments_ before his sneak attack, Zabuza would never know. And while the fool paid for it with his life, Zabuza's plans were already ruined. He'd known since the beginning that he couldn't take Yagura in a straight up fight, which was why he focused so much on perfecting his Silent Killing technique. Nor was he ever going to gain enough followers to aid him in such a fight without dragging other shinobi–many who would side with Yagura solely because he was the Mizukage- into the fight, which would leave him in the same situation. Hell, Zabuza's few followers at the time were busy targeting Yagura's most influential supporters and causing chaos in other parts of the village.

All so he would have the best chance of killing Yagura before the Jinchuuriki ever knew Zabuza had betrayed him. His followers would still have been all but wiped out regardless of whether or not Yagura survived, but seizing power wasn't Zabuza's goal to begin with. Killing Yagura was. Even if it cost his own life, if Zabuza could kill Yagura then the operation would have been a success. But when it failed, Zabuza had to move on to his secondary plans, had to rush to gather as many of his followers as he could and flee the village. That stage worked about as well as he had expected, with most of his followers dying during the escape.

Still, that was enough for Zabuza to move onto the second stage, inciting the bloodthirsty Kaguya clan –which was really the _only_ clan that could be so easily be manipulated due to the bloodlust induced by their bloodline- into coming back out of hiding to launch a suicidal attack on Kirigakure themselves. Few truly understood the Secondary Effects of a Bloodline Limit -which was a large part of the reason Bloodline users were so feared. The Kaguya were a prime example of this. Everyone knew how bloodthirsty and barbaric the Kaguya was, yet few outside of Kiri knew _why_. The answer, was the Shikotsumakyu.

The Shikotsumyaku allowed the user to manipulate the speed of their bones' growth as well as the location of calcium deposits. This allowed them to create weapons of bones that could protrude from any part of the body, or be pulled out and used like hand held weapons. The user was also able to create armour of dense bone underneath their skin, which was damn near impenetrable. Immediately after the bone was pulled out, the broken skin healed, although it took a bit longer for the actual limb to become usable again or unless the user regrows the bones consciously.

What it also did, was project an...aura wasn't quite the right word for it, but whatever it was, it effected those non Shikotsumyaku users, particularly those who spent a great deal of time around them. Zabuza wasn't certain on the medical jargon used to describe the effect, but the results were clear. The Kaguya were adrenaline junkies, and nothing would set off the adrenaline like battle. Even outsiders would be effected, though to a lesser degree.

About the only ones guaranteed to be immune to this effect, were those who actually manifested the Shikotsumyaku itself. Those select few were more often than not the epitome of calm. They were also the ones who kept the rest of the Kaguya in line and under control. Something the rest of the clan chafed at. Which was probably why so few Shikotsumyaku users made it to adulthood in the last decade or so, often murdered by their own clansmen.

This was the Kaguya clan's downfall of course. Without the calm and restraint of the white haired Shikotsumyaku users, the Kaguya were easily manipulated into attacking Kirigakure, grinning and laughing maniacally all the way. Even as they died they couldn't stop laughing. They charged headlong into their doom with nary a thought.

And Zabuza was the instigator of that doom, all so Yagura and his followers would crack down on the Bloodline clans even more, forcing said clans to finally fight back. This would weaken and distract Yagura's forces, and give Zabuza a local powerbase for his eventual return at the head of a mercenary force.

Zabuza had already been a legend before his first attempt on Yagura's life, and the fact that he _survived_ said attempt, evaded the elite Oinin, and returned for a second attempt with more followers would make him even more of a hero to the embattled clans. Add in the fact that he was the last, _loyal_ member of the Seven Swordsman –having arranged this by betraying and killing Mangetsu- and he'd easily be able to claim leadership of the rebels, and eventually the title of Godaime Mizukage…assuming he succeeded in killing Yagura.

Granted, his actions caused the deaths of many shinobi –bloodline wielders and otherwise- and even entire clans who might not have died had he not incited the Kaguya, but to Zabuza, those were acceptable sacrifices. Especially since most of the clans were part of the problem anyway.

And once he succeeded -assuming he survived- Zabuza could rebuild the Seven Swordsmen –he was the only one who knew that four of the legendary swords were in a scroll hidden _inside_ Mangetsu's corpse after all- and turn Kirigakure into a powerful, influential Hidden Village that Mizu no Kuni could be _proud_ of. And if he died killing Yagura? Then Haku would take his place and become the Godaime. She already had a scroll that was only to be opened in the event of his death, a scroll that would give her the edge needed to rule Kirigakure in his place.

Because in the end, Zabuza's tool would follow his commands no matter what. Even if Zabuza was no longer alive to give them.

Yes, Zabuza was a cruel, ruthless man, but by God, he _would_ save his homeland. No matter the cost.

* * *

Haku couldn't help but toss and turn fitfully that night, worried as she was about the next morning. Not out of any worry for Zabuza, though she _did _worry for him as a matter of course. Years of training and fighting under Zabuza had taught Haku that she was naturally a worrier, and she had long since learned to sleep through it.

Nor was her reluctance to kill –something she knew was very likely to come in the morning- the cause for her tossing and turning. As she had learned to put aside her worrying, so had Haku learned to harden her heart and kill without any more than the slightest pang of guilt-ridden self-loathing until long after the deed was done. So the thought of killing the bridge builder and his workers, or even the Konoha nin, while certainly sickening, wasn't enough to leave her so restless. And although the thought of fighting Naruto _did_ leave her feeling like an uncomfortable weight was pressing down on her chest, Haku was relatively certain that even _if_ she had to fight him, she'd be able to leave Naruto relatively unharmed. Waking up from a deathlike state was an uncomfortable experience, but at least he'd _survive_. Given the fact that the Konoha ninja appeared to be guarding the bridge builder and his crew in shifts, Haku was desperately hoping that Naruto wasn't even there in the morning.

Considering the stories Zabuza-sama had been telling her lately about the Uzumaki clan, her master was very unlikely to let Naruto live just because they had become friends of a sort. So waking up with a handful of senbon sticking out of him was definitely preferable.

No, what was causing her restlessness –and had in fact been doing so since yesterday- was Zabuza's _absurd _claims of her being "infatuated" with Naruto. Yes, he was a nice enough boy –in another life they might have even been true friends- and yes, she had shared her first…well, several kisses with him, but that was just an unintentional consequence of her deception. _'Well, the first kiss or two were unintentional…' _Haku mentally corrected herself, before quickly shaking her head. _'But the rest were just to keep up the act! That's all!'_ Haku wasn't so dense as to deny that she had enjoyed the kisses, but there was a _huge_ difference between enjoying a kiss with a boy and being _infatuated_ with said boy. Even if she couldn't explain how things had gotten so out of hand.

Part of her was upset –and if she were to be completely honest, quite hurt- at Zabuza's assumption that she would betray him in such a manner, that he truly seemed to believe she'd go and do something like that without his approval. After all, she was his loyal tool, and tools did only what their wielders wished them to do. They certainly didn't go around acting independently of their wielder.

Another part of her was appalled that Zabuza thought she'd allow her Tainted blood to contaminate someone that she was actually fond of. Did he truly believe she would take the risk of contaminating Naruto's family with her dirty blood? No matter how much pleasure Haku was sure Naruto could give her that was in no way enough justification to spread her taint.

Rolling over once again, Haku found herself staring at Naruto's jacket where she had left on her small table –after she'd picked it up off the floor where she had thrown it in a panic after awaking with it wrapped around her, only to snatch it back up in an equally panicked shame upon realizing what she'd done.

Staring at the jacket, Haku couldn't help but think of the times she'd spent with the Uzumaki boy. Granted, all of their interactions had been based on a deception on her part, but Haku truly did enjoy the time they spent talking about nothing –or stealing kisses she didn't really deserve from the boy- and she found herself hoping they could meet again, preferably without Haku having to fight him or possibly killing his teammates.

* * *

**Translations:**

Shikotsumyaku=Dead Bone Pulse

Kokuangyou no Jutsu=Journey into Black Darkness Technique

Did I miss any?

* * *

**AN:**

Only one more chapter for the Wave Arc.

We see the slow beginnings of after effects from Gato's disappearence and Naruto's activities.

I always felt Zabuza could have been gone into with some more detail. Most writers either make him a damn psycho or a doting father figure to Haku. Can't say I've seen too many that portray him as a ruthless son of a bitch who's doing the things he does for a reason. Only one comes to mind in fact.

I'm playing with a new idea that gets mentioned slightly in this chapter, though I'll have to go back and work on it some more later on. The idea being something that came about through a conversation I had with Kagaseo about bloodlines. Long story short, what if bloodlines –either some or all- affected not only their users, but their surrounding environment as well? I've actually been tossing around the idea of bloodlines affecting the environment around them to a degree, which for now will be referred to as Secondary Effect -at least until I or someone else comes up with a better name. Like the Kaguya bloodline instilling an increased reaction to adrenaline or something, leading to the Kaguya clan as a whole being adrenaline junkies, hence their bloodthirsty and war like ways. In the anime, even when they're surrounded and all but dead/going out in a blaze of glory, with the exception of Kimmimaru, they can't seem to stop grinning and laughing. I meant to make some kind of reference or explanation towards this in this chapter, but since I came up with the idea after the chapter was already written, and only mentioned the Kaguya once, I'm having trouble getting it in there. Likewise, given how random animals -which are usually quite skittish- have no problem being around Haku -the rabbit and the random bird that perches on her shoulder- maybe her bloodline gives off a calming aura or something. Something that I'm trying to have affect Naruto as well, though I don't know how well I've done it.

Anyway, let me know what you think, particularly if you have any ideas for improvement, or any questions on my version of what happened in Nami. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome, especially if it can help improve this story.

Peace, Vaan.


	27. Chapter 26

**Words-238629, Chapters-27, Reviews-1073, Hits-626292, C2s-140, Favs-1802 Alerts-1808**

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**AN:** Still waiting for this chapter and the next to be proof read, but I've got a bit of writer's block, so I'm hoping any new reviews will help me get over it. An edited version of this chapter will be uploaded as soon as I get it. Finally got another chapter of Reckoning out as well, so please remember to check it out. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 26 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

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'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

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**Chapter Twenty-Six**

"Naruto, wake up." A voice pushed through Naruto's skull as he jerked awake at a pressure gripping his ankle. Sitting halfway up with a kunai in either hand, Naruto paused as he saw Kakashi staring at him from a crouched position near his feet. Relaxing, Naruto started to flop back down on his back before freezing at Kakashi's uncharacteristically serious expression.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked quietly as he tightened his grip on the kunai. Naruto was supposed to have this morning off, so the fact that a _serious _Kakashi was waking him up anyway was a bad sign. Were they about to be attacked? It didn't seem likely since Gato wasn't around anymore, but Naruto supposed it could have been one of the midget's lackeys trying to show some initiative. Or the businessman might have hired more ninja before Naruto killed him, in which case, they wouldn't have any way of knowing their contracts were null and void. _'Or maybe the Old Man is finally making his move? Would Kakashi warn me? He _does_ seem to care about us in his own, irritating way…but would that be enough? Would Kakashi turn against the Old Man for my sake? What if this is an elaborate scheme to lure me into a trap-'_

"I think Zabuza is going to strike today." Kakashi unknowingly interrupted Naruto's increasingly paranoid thoughts. "There's a small cave about two miles north of here, on the west side of the river near a clearing filled with wildflowers. Pakkun will show you the way. I want you to take Tsunami and Inari and hide them there. Go quickly before anyone else wakes up. Then make your way to the bridge as stealthily as you can. If you don't find us there, then work your way back towards the house until you find us."

Naruto blinked in confusion as Kakashi's instructions sunk in, before frowning. "Who the hell is Pakkun? And what makes you think Zabuza –if he's even still alive- would attack today?"

"Today is the earliest Zabuza could have feasibly recovered from that deathlike state, and he's not the type to give up. You learn to trust your instincts if you live to be my age, and my instincts are telling me that he'll show up today. Oh, and Pakkun is one of my Summons. Now get going, I left Tsunami and Inari on the couch in the living room, and I want you three gone before Tazuna wakes up."

"…you have a summoning scroll?" Naruto asked with no small amount of genuine respect in his tone. Summoning was a relatively simple skill; pretty much anyone could learn the C rank technique. _Getting_ a Summoning Scroll was quite a bit harder, but again, not all that rare. Getting the _Summons_ to accept you however, was a far more difficult task. Most stories say that a wannabe Summoner was tested by whatever Summons he had acquired, and while the stories varied on just _what_ the tests involved, they all pretty much agreed that the tests were literally a do or die occasion.

That Kakashi managed to pull it off caused Naruto's respect for the Jounin to soar. "Wait a minute, what do you mean you 'left them on the couch'?" Naruto asked when the strange way Kakashi had worded that sank in.

"I drugged them." Kakashi answered blithely. "That way they'll stay in the cave once you put them there, and it will be easier for you to carry them if they aren't squirming."

"…You…you drugged the client's family?" Naruto asked with some mixed feelings. On the one hand, Tazuna was an asshole, and the man's reaction when he found out was sure to be entertaining. And the thought of drugging that little shit Inari was more than a little amusing to Naruto. On the other hand, he was rather fond of Tsunami, and she didn't really deserve to be treated that way.

"Yup," Kakashi said with one of those "eye smiles" of his. "Now, do you think you can do this, or do I need to wake up Sasuke instead?"

Grunting slightly, Naruto pulled himself up and began gathering his equipment, silently deciding to just do as Kakashi directed and worry about any moral qualms later. And, if worse came to worst, he'd just blame the whole thing on Kakashi.

Which was how he found himself staring blankly down at a cape and hitae-ate wearing pug in the living room.

"What's up?" The dog asked in a surprisingly deep, gruff voice as he raised a paw in greeting. The similarity between Pakkun and Kakashi's greetings were a little disconcerting to be honest. So was the simple fact that "You're a talking puppy." Naruto deadpanned.

"I'm not a puppy." Pakkun retorted with a slight growl. "And you'd better be more respectful or I won't let you feel my soft paws."

…

…

"Is that…supposed to be a threat?" Naruto asked, trying and failing to keep the incredulousness out of his voice.

"Do you _see_ these paws?" Pakkun asked as he raised his paw in the air once again. "Just look at how soft they look. I bet you've never seen a paw this good looking before."

…

…

"So…" Naruto gave an uncomfortable cough. "You're going to lead me to this cave right? Are you going to need me to carry you as well?"

Pakkun just snorted dryly. "You wish kid. If anything, I'll have to remember to keep my speed down so you can keep up!"

Naruto opened his mouth, but then thought better of it and just shook his head with sigh. "Alright, just let me grab these two and we can get going." That being said, Naruto turned to stare at his two charges. _'How exactly should I do this?' _he asked himself as he stared at Tsunami and Inari, both grateful that they were both dressed, and somewhat perturbed as to just _how_ Kakashi managed to arrange that. As a shinobi, Naruto was certainly capable of carrying the two at the same time, but for the life of him, he couldn't think of a…well…_proper_ and _decent_ way of carrying Tsunami as well as Inari.

He could carry them both one over each shoulder, but that would either put Tsunami's head by his crotch, or her butt next to his head. Similarly, if he carried her in a fireman's carry, that would require him to put his arm between her legs –which her long skirt would make difficult- and dangerously near _her _crotch. In fact, the only way he could think of to carry her without feeling like he was _molesting_ the unconscious woman would be to carry her bridal style, which would keep him from being able to carry Inari as well.

"Say, Pakkun," Naruto began slowly. "How strong are you exactly? Could you carry someone Inari's size and weight if I strapped him to your back?"

Pakkun turned to stare up at him with unreadable, droopy eyes. "Not happening." He said shortly, shooting Naruto's idea down before he could really formulate it.

_'Damn…'_ Naruto mentally growled. _'This would be so much easier if she was as annoying as Inari.'_ At least then he wouldn't feel bad about what he was about to do. Carefully picking her up off the couch, Naruto slung her over his right shoulder. He tried to make her as comfortable as possible, and to keep his hand as far from Tsunami's butt as possible while still being able to hold her securely. He also made sure _not_ to look to his right at all, not wanting to ogle the poor woman while she was unconscious.

In sharp contrast to his careful handling of Tsunami, Naruto just yanked Inari off the couch and tucked him under his other arm like a sack of potatoes.

"All right, let's get going." Naruto ordered gruffly to Pakkun as he struggled not to blush at Tsunami's close proximity.

Something which he failed at miserably when Pakkun stated conversationally, "She's got a nice ass for a human. She should wear a skirt that complements her figure better."

That just proved that this dog was _definitely _Kakashi's summon. The only reason Naruto was able to resist the temptation to check out Pakkun's statement for himself was the fact that the pug was staring him right in the face as he said it.

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Kakashi eyed the mist enshrouded bridge warily as he, his students, and their client stepped onto it. Mist wasn't uncommon in a country like Nami, especially in the early morning like right now, but today the mist seemed far more sinister than just a simple occurrence of nature. And given Zabuza's specialty, added in to the uneasiness in his gut, and Kakashi was understandably tense. He glanced at his students, taking comfort in the way the both of them were scanning their surroundings carefully.

They had both been shaken by their previous encounter with Zabuza, but the Kinobori no Waza seemed to have done exactly as Kakashi had intended and restored their confidence. He was especially proud of Sakura, as she had been a broken down wreck for the first couple of days after he first woke up.

"Wh-what the hell is this!?" Tazuna cried, catching Kakashi's attention as the mist simultaneously seemed to withdraw just enough for the group to seem at least half a dozen still forms lying in pools of blood scattered across the bridge. "Wh-what kind of monster could do something like this?" Tazuna asked fearfully as he examined one of his fallen workers. "Who would attack Nami no Kuni's hope like this?"

Kakashi casually scanned the bridge taking in the bodies and the scattered equipment in the same glance. A couple of the bodies had senbon needles sticking out of them, but most of them looked as if someone had taken a giant butcher knife to them. _'Sometimes, I hate being right…'_ he sighed to himself before noticing the mist closing in once again.

"Here they come!" he cried out in warning to his students, smiling slightly as they both instantly spun to face as many directions as possible, kunai and shuriken gripped in their hands as they gazed outwards. They were tense, but there was no sign of the terror that had gripped them in the previous battle.

Hopefully, that would be enough.

* * *

Pausing on a tree branch, Naruto blinked down at the unusually think mist hugging the coastline. Could Kakashi have been right? Had Zabuza survived, and was he waiting down there watching for their arrival? On the one hand, Kakashi had been constantly showing that he was a talented shinobi almost since they met, from the Genin Test to spotting the Demon Brothers, to duking it out with and then defeating Zabuza, to the latest revelation involving his Dog Summons. On the other hand, Kakashi read porn pretty much everywhere he went, which -among other things- made it far harder to take him seriously.

Shame that Pakkun stayed with Tsunami and Inari, apparently as ordered by Kakashi in case anything went wrong today. That was actually rather prudent of Kakashi, but a talking dog was as likely to terrify Tsunami and her brat as anything else. The scroll Naruto had quickly written up explaining what was going on, as well as pointing out that he had nothing to do with Kakashi drugging them, and that he'd acted the perfect gentleman while carrying Tsunami and Inari to their current hiding place -barring a branch breaking under him, leaving Naruto with the choice of either grabbing Tsunami in a rather inappropriate manner or letting her fall ten feet to the ground- as quickly and smoothly as possible. And if he was lucky, she wouldn't ask about how she got that bruise.

Hopping to the ground, Naruto cautiously made his way into the mist, which quickly thickened to the point that all he could see was maybe six inches in front of his face, followed by impenetrably thick gray mist wherever he looked. Those six inches and the color of the mist was about the only noticeable difference to Naruto between the mist and his Kokuangyou no Jutsu.

Blinking, Naruto pondered that for a second. If they truly were so similar, then the techniques that allowed one to fight while inside the Genjutsu should work in the mist as w-

"Shit!" Naruto hissed as he stumbled to a halt as the familiar scent washed over him. It was covered up somewhat by the smell of the sea and all of the water in the mist surrounding him, but it was still recognizable. After all, he'd only ever smelt such an overwhelming concentration of blood once before. Damn, Zabuza being alive really was a kick in the balls. He could already see Kakashi's smug face…eye…whatever.

Breathing deeply, Naruto cautiously began to creep through the mist, trying to catch the scent of Kakashi and the others, or at least enough to get a decent warning that Zabuza was about to chop his head off- only to cringe when he accidentally stepped in a puddle somewhere on the bridge. Heart pounding, Naruto dropped to his back just in time for a familiar sword to cut through the air above him. Right about where his kidneys _would_ have been, Naruto figured, already drawing his chakra knife and slashing towards where he thought Zabuza's ankle would be. To his surprise, Naruto actually felt his blade hit home, tearing through Zabuza's flesh with astounding ease, drenching him in…cold…blood.

Blinking, Naruto brought his knife up to where he could actually see it, only to curse as he saw the water dripping from the blade where blood should be. _'What did Kakashi call those things? Mizu Bunshin?' _Naruto absentmindedly reminded himself as he jumped back to his feet and moved quickly away from where he had been, expecting Zabuza or another Mizu Bunshin to hone in on the sound and planning to ambush-

"Yeowch!" Naruto suddenly yelped as he felt an electric shock run through him. The shock, while painful, didn't really cause any physical harm. What it did do, was alert everyone on the bridge as to his location, something Zabuza was quick to take advantage of.

The missing-ninja appeared in front of him, giant sword already drawn to cut him in half granting Naruto his first glimpse at the apparently alive Kiri Jounin. In that final instant, Naruto took note of the man's clothes of all things, noticing how Zabuza was actually wearing a shirt, as well as a different color scheme. That was about all Naruto had a chance to see before Zabuza drew back his sword and-

"Yeowch!" Naruto and "Zabuza" both yelped as a second shock ran through them, though whereas Naruto jumped from the shock, "Zabuza" exploded into water again, drenching Naruto a second time in as many seconds.

Just barely resisting the urge to splutter, Naruto cautiously tried to copy Kakashi's trick from their first battle with Zabuza. He'd never really tried to surge his chakra in this manner before, yet he was still able to clear a couple of feet around him of fog, which allowed him to see Tazuna of all people squatting down as much as possible to hide behind…

"Sakura?" Naruto asked with a mixture of surprise and anger in his voice. He was about to say something along the lines of "how are you still alive" when Zabuza's sword came hurling towards them, only for Naruto to actually _see_ a burst of electricity which shocked _everything_ within a few feet. "Son of a bitch!" Naruto howled as he got shocked _and_ drenched again as Zabuza's sword exploded into water at the same time.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked cautiously as Naruto stomped closer. Then she tossed a shuriken on the ground at her feet.

Not that he saw that, as shortly after the weapon left her hand, Naruto was too busy jumping up and down as another surge of electricity hit him. "God damn it! What did you do?!" he growled irritably. "Why does that keep happening!?"

"Er…sorry about that Naruto." Sakura began somewhat sheepishly. When his glare narrowed on her, she hurriedly continued. "B-but, you see, Zabuza ambushed us at the beginning with his Mizu Bunshin, and with Kakashi and Sasuke fighting Zabuza and that fake Oinin…well, I was kind of on my own…and I needed to protect Tazuna, but I couldn't fight Zabuza's clones by myself, so I kind of…improvised those seals you used to make this trap…"

Naruto didn't really hear the rest of what she said, too busy noticing for the first time the small square of seals –each seal forming a corner of a "box" which acted as a sort of grounding element- that surrounded Sakura and Tazuna. Looking around himself, he couldn't spot the seals responsible for the shock, though that didn't concern him too much. He was actually more interested in how Sakura had utilized the rather harmless seals to protect herself.

The seals were relatively simple, something he'd literally doodled out while on a D rank involving a broken fence and some livestock that kept trying to escape through it. The concept was to create a line by the broken fence that the animals would be unwilling to cross, allowing him and his team to work on repairing the fence without having to fend off the livestock as well. It took Naruto all of a minute of thought to create the seal tags capable of sending out the shock, and only a couple of seconds of additional thought to make it so the shock traveled in only one direction. The need for the buffer seals became evident after the first testing of the "shock" seals, when the shock kept going for several hundred feet, damn near causing the animals to stampede before Naruto got the seals back under control.

So while the seal did what Naruto had intended it to do, it was more or less just a waste of ink and paper to make the things. He'd only brought them out when trapping Tazuna's house on the first night, and even then, it was just as a fancy version of empty cans or bells on a string, designed to give warning if there were any intruders.

That Sakura had taken those seals and figured out a way to use them to nullify Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin was surprising, and if Naruto was honest, rather ingenious. Tuning back in, Naruto caught the trail end of Sakura's explanation.

"-so while the shock can't really do any harm, the conductivity of the water in Zabuza's clones mixed with the Raiton shock from the tags is enough to cause them to destabilize and…well…explode isn't really the right word, but-"

"Sakura," Naruto interrupted, drawing a cringe from the girl. "…good job. That was pretty clever of you." Oddly enough, the girl beamed rather proudly at his compliment, even as another Zabuza appeared behind her, only to be destroyed by the resulting shock.

Frowning, Naruto turned his attention back to the surrounding mist. Judging by the fact that Zabuza or his accomplice hadn't shown up to deal with Sakura personally, they must either be too occupied with Kakashi and Sasuke, or they didn't know what was happening to the clones to begin with. Either way, Naruto needed to decide what to do now. Staying here would be marginally safer than going out into the mist, but that would also mean leaving Kakashi and Sasuke to deal with their enemies by themselves. And while Kakashi could probably hold his own against Zabuza, there was no telling how strong the Oinin was.

Naruto thought about it for a few more seconds, and then resolutely tightened his grip on his chakra knife. He'd never been one to sit back and let others fight on his behalf. Still, that was no reason to be careless about it. A few hand signs later, and Naruto was wrapped in his Konohagakure no Jutsu, stalking out into the mist –which quickly thickened once again- to the sounds of Tazuna's whimpered, "Where did he go? You ninja are supposed to be protecting me! Without me, Gato will destroy my bridge and Nami no Kuni will never be free! Think about my family!"

"Tazuna-san, please shut up." Sakura murmured absentmindedly as she returned to scanning the mists around her, drawing a smirk from Naruto. Maybe Kakashi had been right. Sakura might have potential after all.

Careful to avoid stepping in any more puddles or bumping into any debris, Naruto cautiously made his way through the mist, pausing from time to time to Listen. He was able to hear Sasuke and the fake Oinin somewhere off to his right, but finding Kakashi and Zabuza was proving to be a bigger challenge.

It wasn't like he could just call out to Kakashi after all. That would just draw Zabuza down on him…assuming they'd even notice through his Genjutsu. Naruto frowned and made a mental note to test that when he wasn't in the middle of a life or death battle.

When another attempt to find either Kakashi or Zabuza failed, Naruto decided to just go help Sasuke with his fight instead. Not that he was really anxious to fight Zabuza again, but he would have liked to at least know where the eyebrow-less freak was.

Crouching down slightly, Naruto began to move as swiftly and as stealthily as he could…only to have to throw himself into a roll to avoid being cut in half when he ran smack dab into the middle of Zabuza and Kakashi's fight.

_'Figures…'_ Naruto thought incredulously as he came back to his feet, his chakra knife held out in front of him while he hurled a brace of shuriken with his free hand. The deadly stars arched in at Zabuza from several angles, but the man dodged them effortlessly, almost absentmindedly thrusting his sword at Naruto's chest as he hacked at Kakashi with a kunai the size of a meat cleaver.

Naruto tried to parry the blow aside with his knife, but just like when they fought on the lake, the knife might have been able to stand up to the great sword, but Naruto himself was unable to stand up to the power behind the blow, skidding back several feet and only just able to keep himself from falling on his ass.

"You again…" Zabuza growled angrily. "That's twice now that you've interfered in my fights boy…" The pressure of the Kiri Jounin's killing intent was almost enough to send Naruto to his knees even in spite of his own experience with the feeling. As it was, Naruto let his Genjutsu drop and did his best to steady his shaky legs, careful to keep an ear out for any sign of Zabuza's clones. When Zabuza didn't make any move to hack him into tiny pieces, Naruto cautiously made his way in a quarter-circle around the man to stand near Kakashi, who aside from breathing harder than normal, looked his usual nonchalantly lackadaisical self. Zabuza didn't try to stop him, yet even with the bandages wrapping around his face, Naruto could swear the Kiri Jounin was grinning sadistically.

"So you brought all of your brats after all, eh Kakashi?" Zabuza asked with a light growl. "Too bad, guess that means they'll all die with you after all."

"I wouldn't underestimate them if I were you, Zabuza." Kakashi replied with one of those creepy eye smiles of his. "After all, my other students were holding their own against your student and your Mizu Bunshin, and Naruto here has already helped me defeat you once before."

"Bah! Little Naruto here just got lucky that time!" Zabuza growled dismissively. "I guarantee you, he won't get lucky again."

Despite his dismissive tone, Naruto caught the angry look in the Kiri Jounin's eyes. Generally speaking, provoking a psychotic Jounin didn't strike Naruto as a good idea, but seeing as how Kakashi seemed to have some kind of plan, Naruto was willing to go along with it for now. "Luck? Is that what it's called these days? Cause where I come from, when a Genin half your age blocks your giant ass sword with a fucking knife, that's called incompetence." Naruto drawled lazily, only the slight beads of sweat on his forehead betraying his nervousness. "Is that the real reason you had to leave Kirigakure? Because you kept getting shown up by Genin?"

Zabuza didn't even look at him, yet Naruto suddenly found himself dodging four shuriken by a hairsbreadth, and even then only because Kakashi had grabbed his arm and pulled him aside. "Maa, hit a nerve did we?" Kakashi asked smugly. "Still, maybe my student has a point. For one of Kirigakure no Sato's legendary Swords, yours' doesn't seem to live up to all of the hype."

Strangely enough, Zabuza didn't seem to react to that much, instead tilting his head over his shoulder in the direction where Naruto could still hear Sasuke's fight. "Do you hear that, Kakashi? Sounds like that student of yours' is getting tired. I think I'll make you listen to him die, just to drive home the point that you were all dead the moment you set foot on this bridge."

"That won't happen, Zabuza." Kakashi said lowly. "I won't allow it."

"You say that as if I'm giving you a choice." Zabuza chuckled as he held one hand up in a half seal.

"Oh shit…" Naruto muttered as the mist darted in even further than before, to the point where Naruto could barely make out Kakashi standing right next to him.

"Naruto," Kakashi ordered softly as he tugged his hitae-ate up. "I can handle Zabuza. I want you to go help Sasuke with his fight. I'll keep Zabuza occupied over here."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked in an equally low voice. "What about his Mizu Bunshin? Wouldn't it be better for us to work together so we can defeat Zabuza quicker?"

"You're no real match for Zabuza in a straight fight, Naruto." Kakashi admonished him lightly. "Added to that, Zabuza is a master of the Silent Killing technique, so fighting him in the mist like this isn't something you're really capable of." Kakashi paused to send him a pointed look with his normal eye. "And quite frankly, I can't afford to protect you from Zabuza while trying to fight him at the same time."

"Really not hearing anything that makes me want to go out there alone, Kakashi." Naruto deadpanned as he moved to stand with his back against Kakashi's.

"Don't worry," Kakashi said cheerfully as he grabbed Naruto's arm. "Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin only possess about a tenth of his strengths and abilities. Just don't let them sneak up on you and you'll be fine." And with that, Kakashi suddenly spun around in a tight circle at a startling pace, dragging Naruto off his feet for a moment and allowing Kakashi to _hurl_ him through the air towards Sasuke's general direction.

"Kakashi, you diiiiiiiccccckkkk!" Naruto cried out as he flew through the air, hoping he wouldn't land right next to Zabuza or anything absurd like that. As fate would have it, he actually crashed _into _a Zabuza, but thankfully the Mizu Bunshin exploded when the force of their impact pushed Naruto right through him. Hitting the ground amidst a miniature tsunami of water, Naruto turned his fall into a roll, quickly moving away from where he'd hit the ground just as a Zabuza with his eyes tightly shut appeared out of the mist, an odd looking kunai leading the way.

Planting his feet, Naruto blocked the strange kunai and kicked at the clone's chest only for the construct to leap away into the mist. _'I can't believe it…how did he not knock me back again…'_ Naruto thought bewilderedly as he slowly backed away from his position. So far, every time Naruto tried to match Zabuza, he'd found himself all but pushed over by the man's superior strength, regardless of whether the Kiri Jounin used his sword or a kunai. Yet this time, even when expecting the man's strength, Naruto actually found himself able to stand his ground with only moderate effort.

Come to think of it, didn't Kakashi say something about Mizu Bunshin being weaker than the creator? That certainly evened the odds a bit in Naruto's opinion as he oriented himself.

Naruto was never more thankful for his odd "sixth sense" then in the few moments after he realized Zabuza's clone was right on top of him. As it was, that split second warning, coupled with his recent training with fighting blind, was all that let him spin about in time to meet the clone's attack head on instead of just being decapitated. Ducking down, Naruto allowed the giant blade to pass by harmlessly overhead, closing the distance between them in the process. As "Mizu Zabuza" tried to check his momentum and bring the sword back across, Naruto lashed out with his chakra knife, almost effortlessly halting and then reversing Mizu Zabuza's blade, knocking it aside again as Naruto brought a kunai across the clone's throat.

Still feeling his "sixth sense" going off even as the Mizu Bunshin collapsed, Naruto hopped to the side and ran through the mist in Sasuke's general direction, utilizing his bastardized training in blind fighting to give him a split second warning to spin around, throwing the kunai in his hand as he did so. The Mizu Bunshin that had been about to sneak up on him knocked the kunai away with an echoing clang that seemed as loud as an explosion in the silent mist. Unfortunately for the Bunshin, the clang of the kunai striking its sword covered up the sound of Naruto closing in slashing the chakra construct's stomach open and leaping back immediately after.

Feeling something cold and unyielding against his back, Naruto felt a foreboding chill as he whirled around and instinctively buried his knife in the back of a masked shinobi…mirror? Blinking, Naruto jumped back with a startled curse when the figure –seemingly unnoticing or uncaring of the knife sticking out of it- turned to stare down at him. Strangely, the knife remained right where it was, clueing Naruto in to the fact that he'd just stabbed some kind of mirrored slab of ice. Had he arrived a minute or so earlier, he'd know that that was in fact an incredibly impressive accomplishment.

To Naruto, he'd just stabbed a chunk of ice, an odd occurrence, but hardly something that was capable of holding his attention. He was more concerned with the fact that there was around sixteen or so six foot tall mirrors hovering in a dome like formation. Particularly since he could see Sasuke struggling to push himself off the ground from mere feet away.

Naruto would later recount with some amount of shame that he may have…panicked somewhat in that moment. The sight of his teammate, someone that he had a small amount of respect for and…well…he didn't _hate _him…laying on the ground with over a dozen six inch long _spikes_ sticking out of him, was enough for Naruto to forget himself and do something incredibly stupid. Like trying to reach between two of the mirrors with his left arm to try and drag Sasuke out of said domelike structure.

Naruto came within inches of his fallen teammate when he noticed the reflections in the mirrors –oddly all of just the one person- seemed to move in sync, acting as if they were about to launch from their respective mirrors before Naruto had to bite down a scream of agony as a senbon needle pierced the palm of his hand. Reflexively withdrawing and clutching his wounded hand, Naruto almost missed Sasuke's death.

Staring up in surprised horror, Naruto watched helplessly as Sasuke gave out a death rattle and went unnaturally still. It was only in that moment that Naruto realized that the number of senbon sticking out of the Uchiha's corpse had increased by another seven, apparently around the time Naruto had gained his own piercing. But how? Naruto might not have had the best eyes in the shinobi world, but he should have at least been able to see _something_. And yet, Sasuke was dead. Naruto was honestly having a bit of a hard time believing it, which was odd considering he'd just watched Sasuke's death spasm. It just happened so god damned _fast_. And there was almost no blood-

"Shit!" Even as he was tugging the senbon from his hand, Naruto yelped in disbelief as the dome of mirrors suddenly shifted, the far side raising up like a flower in the midst of blooming, before the mirrors reached the peak of their ascent. Then they came flying back down, reforming the dome around Naruto this time. Leaping forward, Naruto immediately tried to get out between the mirrors in front of him, desperate to avoid whatever the hell had happened to Sasuke, only to once again witness the mirrors' reflections move as if about to leap. Then Naruto was hit by something that made Zabuza's punches feel like light taps, at the very same instant the reflections began to return to a relaxed position.

Groaning, Naruto pulled himself to his feet, tenderly probing his chest where the blows hit, wincing at the feel of several bruised ribs. _'How is he doing that? Are the mirrors keeping me trapped in here somehow? Some kind of jutsu that lashes out at anything that tries to pass between the mirrors? No, that doesn't make sense…it has to have something to do with the reflections…there has to be a reason why the Oinin is the only one being reflected…there doesn't seem to be any correlation between the various reflections either-'_

Naruto's thoughts came to a screeching halt as his mind finally placed the scent that had been hanging in the air ever since that senbon hit his hand. It all made sense now…a twisted, fucked up kind of sense, but sense nonetheless. He was actually surprised he hadn't figured it out sooner, considering how much time they'd been spending together.

"Haku…" he growled near silently, all the time they had spent together rushing through his mind, everything they'd _done_ and only _now_ did he finally realize just how expertly he'd been played.

She must have been able to hear him, because Haku paused in her mirrors, slowly, almost fearfully raising one hand to remove her mask, leaving Naruto to stare at over a dozen different pieces of undeniable proof standing in front of and around him.

* * *

Haku froze fearfully as she heard her name said in such a disbelieving, _angry_ tone from the mouth that before had only spoken her name with affection or kindness. At first, she had dared to hope that maybe he was sad that they'd never meet again –after all, Naruto had no way of knowing that Haku planned to spare him and his teammate- or maybe anger that he was being prevented from meeting with someone he genuinely cared about. Because surely, Naruto would never speak her name with such _hatred_? Surely he'd ever say her name the way her _father_ had in those final moments before everything she'd ever known and loved in her short life had been brutally cut down.

Almost of its own accord, Haku's hand slowly rose to her mask, hesitating for only a second, before shakily revealing her face to the boy she had only now come to see as a genuine friend. A part of her hoped that maybe seeing her face would help calm Naruto, perhaps let him know that she didn't want to fight him.

Instead, Naruto's fierce eyes narrowed even further, his fists clenched so tightly that drops of blood were beginning to fall onto the bridge.

"I-I'm sorry, Naruto." Haku said thickly, before the words began to pour from her mouth uncontrollably. "I never meant to-never _wanted_ to hurt you Naruto. Honestly! I don't want to fight you…" Haku flinched slightly when Naruto growled lowly at her, not with any recognizable words, but to Haku they might as well have been sledgehammers. "We don't need to fight, Naruto! Your teammate is still alive! I just put him in a death like state-like what I did with Zabuza-sama the last time!"

"All Zabuza-sama wants is the bridge builder." Haku continued with a slight amount more of control compared to her earlier babbling. "You…you could even come with us, Naruto!" Haku offered frantically, suddenly terrified of having her first _real_ friend –even if that friendship was based on a deception- look at her with such hateful eyes. "Please, Naruto-" Haku trailed off with a gasp as the air around them suddenly seemed to grow warmer, her eyes widening is shock as _visible_ wisps of _red_ chakra began to peel off from Naruto's body. Her mild horror transformed into curiosity as the hole she'd left in his palm seemed to let off a trail of steam or smoke, even as it healed shut right before her eyes.

"You bitch…" Naruto muttered the volume and emotion behind those two words growing with each repetition. "You bitch…you bitch you bitch youbitchYOUBITCH!"

"Naruto!" Haku's entreaty suddenly transformed into a startled scream as his eyes turned from a stunning blue to blood red. Combined with Naruto's naturally slit pupils, his eyes now appeared genuinely _demonic!_ Though perhaps more terrifying in how fascinating it was, Haku watched as Naruto's shadow shifted and shrank and grew again, until it finally contorted and stretched into the form of some kind of beast stretched out on the ground behind him, nine tails swaying chaotically. The shadow itself actually seemed to resonate with rage and cruelty, sending trembles down Haku's spine just by acknowledging its presence.

And then Naruto was on her, somehow picking out which mirror she was in, seemingly without any real effort on his part. Something that even Zabuza-sama had proven unable to do. "Naruto, stop!" Haku cried out as she threw herself out of the mirror, on the verge of a complete breakdown as the mirror shattered easily before Naruto's rage. "Please, we don't have to fight! I_-I _don't want to fight you!"

* * *

Across the bridge, Kakashi recognized the horrifying taint of the Kyuubi. Even after all these years, the memory was as fresh and raw in his mind as if the Bijuu's assault was just yesterday. '_Is the seal breaking_?' he wondered frantically as he fired up his signature technique, the Chidori. '_I have to get to Naruto_…now!' No longer willing to lecture Zabuza or request his surrender, Kakashi turned back to face the Kiri Jounin where he was being held down by Kakashi's dog summons. "This ends _now_, Zabuza," the Copy Nin growled. "A much _bigger_ problem has suddenly come up."

With those final words, Kakashi blitzed forward with the skittering sound of a thousand birds scratching at the pavement. When he was within striking distance Kakashi lashed out in a flash of light mixed with the stomach-churning stench of burning flesh.

* * *

Naruto was no stranger to anger. He'd been angry more times than he could be bothered to count, for reasons as trivial as Konohamaru bugging him for tales of his "adventures" to as deadly serious as when Mizuki had spoken ill of Kurenai. On certain, bad days, Naruto had felt he was angry at the world as a whole, and wouldn't feel the slightest pang of regret if it all burned to the ground. So yes, Naruto knew anger.

This was something so much more. This was a rage that demanded violence, a fury that left his ears pounding with blood that blocked out everything else. He wasn't blind to it by any means. Naruto could see the fear in Haku's eyes; he saw the panicky jerk of her reaction as she tried to stay out of his reach. She was terrified of him and his anger. And that was the way he _wanted_ it. He wanted the bitch utterly terrified of him; he wanted to see her huddled up in a quivering ball, _shrieking_ for his mercy.

Because mixed in with his old friend anger, were far more painful, unsettling emotions. He felt betrayed, which was familiar if not as much as anger. But he also felt _used_, something he'd never truly felt before.

He was such a fool. How could he have let her get so close, get her claws into him so deeply? For the love of God, he'd been thinking of taking her _home_ with him! He'd been making half-assed plans on how to introduce her to Kurenai and get her to agree to allow Haku to move in with them. They might have been little more than daydreams, but the fact remained; he'd actually been considering it! He'd thought of what life with Haku around on a more permanent basis could be like, and decided that he liked the idea.

And the whole thing had been a lie. Of course it was a lie. Naruto knew full well that Kunoichi were expert seductresses, and Haku had played him as easily as a stripper playing a virgin. How much information had Haku pulled from him without Naruto even being aware of it? What secrets was _she _about to give away when she distracted him with "accidental" kisses? How the hell could he let himself be _played_ so easily!?

He'd allowed himself to be convinced that Haku was just a simple village girl, and thus couldn't possibly be a threat to him. Where had all of his cautiousness and calculations gone? _'My God, I was so _naïve_!' _Naruto berated himself disgustedly as his emotions roiled uncontrollably. He wanted to hurt Haku. He wanted her to feel some semblance of the pain he was feeling right then. He closed the distance between them effortlessly, never noticing the strange feel of his chakra, or the fluctuations of his chakra control. He didn't even realize how _fast_ he was moving, so focused was he on hurting her the way he was hurting now.

She threw up an arm as if to plead with him –which the bitch _should_ be, though that wouldn't be enough by a long shot- and Naruto effortlessly batted it aside and punched her in the chest. It wasn't an elegant move, it wasn't even a smart attack really as there were far more vulnerable areas of the body he could have struck, yet he still punched out at her chest, just trying to hurt her the way she had hurt him.

So he was shocked and then horrified when his hand first connected, and then effortlessly punched _through_ her chest and out her back, unknowingly copying Kakashi on the other side of the bridge at that moment.

He stared at Haku in surprise and quickly increasing horror as she convulsed on his arm, coughing up blood as she slowly, painfully lifted her head so her eyes –her tear filled, _wild_ eyes he noticed for the first time- met his own. Then she gently reached up to stroke his cheek, whispering "I'm sorry…" before planting a bloody, passionate kiss on his mouth. By the time Naruto could even think about kissing back or pulling away, it was too late. She slumped on/in his arms, dull eyes staring blankly at somewhere just above and to the right of his nose.

Confused and horrified, Naruto struggled to remove his arm from Haku's chest as gently as he could, laying her down on the cold wet concrete. And for the first time in so long, Naruto was truly at a loss as to what to do. Should he try to save her? Was that even _possible_ at this point? He just didn't _know_. The only thing he knew for sure was the one thing he was trying desperately not to think about. Because if he thought about it, if he confronted the knowledge that he hadn't _intended_ to kill her, yet had done so anyway…Naruto didn't know how he'd hold on to his sanity.

His life had been about control for as long as he could remember. Outmaneuvering the Old Man's attempts to control him, controlling his emotions, controlling his chakra, controlling his abilities, making decisions and acting on them. He'd never faced this kind of situation before. Even when he'd lost temper with that mercenary, he'd never really lost control. He'd decided the man was going to die, and the man died. Just like he'd decided that anyone who hurt Kurenai, anyone who even _threatened_ Kurenai had to die, and even though Anko had survived his attempt to murder her –at least until Kurenai convinced him otherwise- Mizuki had not.

Because that's what Naruto had _decided_. Just like he'd decided that anyone who tried to bully Hinata needed an ass-kicking. He _decided_ and he followed through with it. He _decided_ Tazuna wasn't worth saving and went looking to join up with Gato. Then he _decided_ that Gato was a fucking lunatic and he killed him.

But this…this was unprecedented. Never before, not since _them_ had Naruto killed by _accident_. And this wasn't just some random stranger or bandit either. This was _Haku_. This was the girl he shared his first kiss with. This was the girl he'd day dreamed about taking home to meet Kurenai. Even if most of it was a lie, he'd _liked _her. And it said something about what she felt for him that the last thing she'd done in this life was to apologize and kiss him, didn't it?

It was then that he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, distracting him from his racing thoughts and frantic breathing. Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto saw it was just his shadow and started to turn back to Haku before jerking back to stare at his shadow. It wasn't his normal shadow. It was in fact, unlike just about any shadow he'd ever seen. The shape was vague, but one thing definitely stood out, especially since they were the parts that were moving the most. Tails. Nine tails swaying back and forth across the bridge. _'What the hell? KAI!' _When his shadow didn't return to normal, Naruto was at a loss. He'd been so sure that it had been a Genjutsu –a rather obvious one at that- that he didn't have the slightest clue what the hell was-

_"You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"_

_..._

_..._

An inhuman shadow with nine tails. The ramblings of a dead man. The accusations of once beloved family. A dead girl who should _not_ be dead lying at his feet.

There was no sudden epiphany or realization, no thoughts of "of course" or "it all finally makes sense". There was just a horrible, sinking suspicion, and the sensation of his world and everything he thought he knew crashing down into fiery ashes around him.

Hearing tired, yet cautious footsteps, Naruto looked up in time to see a slightly bloodied Kakashi approaching him through the fading mists. Naruto watched as Kakashi observed him with a cautious detachment. The Jounin glanced over Haku, and Naruto's shadow, the gears obviously turning as he set his gaze back on Naruto himself. Not a single shred of surprise anywhere in the man's body language.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other in silence, until Naruto couldn't take the silence any more, nor the growing suspicion and the horror that went with it building inside him.

"I…I'm the Kyuubi…" Naruto all but gasped to Kakashi, who just maintained his silent observation of him. The lack of a denial was all the confirmation Naruto needed at that point. In the next instant, Naruto was sprinting across the bridge at a speed that would be impossible for him ordinarily; fast enough that even Kakashi was caught off guard for several crucial seconds.

By the time the Jounin recovered enough to shout out "Naruto, wait!" he was all but drowned out by Sakura's wailing cries of "Sasuke-kun!" Not that it mattered, as nothing short of Haku being miraculously resurrected could get Naruto to stop at this point. It was just too much, all piled up on top of each other.

Instead, he kept running until he reached the end of the incomplete bridge and hurled himself off the edge, clearing an impossible amount of space thanks to the subconscious use of the Kyuubi's chakra running through his body.

When he hit the water, Naruto actually _skidded_ across it for several dozen meters before he regained control of him momentum. He attempted to run across the water at first, only to quickly realize that his control was no longer where it had been. Not that this stopped him, as he had enough potent chakra surging through him that he easily settled into a skating motion that sent him flying across the last mile or so before hitting the Hi no Kuni coast.

After that, he was just running blindly through the forests, desperate to get away from something that he couldn't even describe, much less give a name to. He would keep running for a very long time.

* * *

"Damn it!" Kakashi hissed to himself as Naruto quickly disappeared into the distance. He'd had no idea that Naruto could move that fast while using the Kyuubi's chakra. If he had, he would have made sure to position himself in a way that he could catch the boy before he ran off. But the fact was, Kakashi had had no idea that it was still Naruto until it was too late, and even then, he had no idea what a Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was capable of. It's not like he'd ever met one before. As a result, he'd still been too distracted by the fear that Kyuubi was about to make its return to notice the warning signs that Naruto was about to do a runner.

Though now that he thought about it, Kakashi couldn't help but wonder. How exactly _had_ Naruto killed Haku? The cause of death was rather obvious, but to the best of Kakashi's knowledge, Naruto didn't _have_ any weapons or techniques capable of inflicting a fist sized hole _through_ someone. The blood that covered Naruto's arm in an eerie similarity to Kakashi's own didn't escape Kakashi's notice either. Though he was more concerned with the blood smeared on both Naruto's _and_ the Kiri nin's lips. Had his student actually been _kissing_ the…girl? Pulling Haku's kimono apart slightly to examine wound more closely, Kakashi inadvertently confirmed that no, Naruto wasn't gay, though that wasn't really the issue here. Naruto had seemingly kissed or at least somehow came in close contact with Haku's lips. Why? And how did the boy know about the Kyuubi, something that was supposed to be a closely guarded secret even from Naruto himself?

_'Damn it, I _really_ wish I didn't agree to continue this mission…'_ Kakashi mused as he felt a headache building from a combination of his heavy use of the Sharingan and the sheer _catastrophe_ this mission was turning out to be. Sighing, Kakashi straightened up from his slouch.

None of that mattered right now. What was important right now was getting Naruto back. His student was obviously unstable right now, and while he hadn't lashed out violently _yet_, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't still attack anyone or anything he came across. Kakashi had to accept that the worst case scenario of Naruto running loose while drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra, consciously or otherwise, could result in the Yondaime's seal breaking.

Even if that didn't happen and Naruto eventually calmed down, the fact remained that Naruto was incredibly important to Konoha –one of the most important individuals in fact- both as the Yondaime's son, even if few were aware of it, and as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Konoha couldn't afford to let him go rogue, or to be captured by another Hidden Village. So as a Jounin of Konoha, Kakashi knew he had a responsibility to do whatever it took to retrieve Naruto.

But at the same time, Kakashi was conflicted by his duties to his students. Sasuke was down, possibly even dead, and Sakura was far too inexperienced to handle a mission like this on her own if Kakashi went after Naruto, and was far too distraught to make the return trip to Konoha with Sasuke's body should they abandon the mission.

Gato was still out there somewhere, and was unlikely to give up just because Zabuza had failed once again. If he left his students behind, Gato would likely be able to kill them just by throwing enough mercenaries at them. Sakura alone could probably take dozens of mercenaries by herself, but she'd likely be up against hundreds and was unlikely to be clearheaded enough to use that brilliant mind of hers to even the odds. No, Kakashi couldn't leave his students here by themselves. And if Sasuke _was_ dead, then Kakashi needed to secure his body for return to the village for proper disposal.

There was really only one option here. They would have to abandon the mission. Tazuna's life, his family and bridge simply didn't rate the sacrifices Konoha would have to make to continue to protect them. Not if it meant a loose Jinchuuriki wandering the country side.

All of this ran through his head in a few seconds as Naruto disappeared on the far coast, even as Kakashi turned and hurried over to where Tazuna was standing, looking distinctly uncomfortable as he watched Sakura wailing over Sasuke's unmoving form. The sight brought a growl of rage and despair to Kakashi as he looked at the proof of his failure, having once again failed to save a teammate. The fact that it was once again the female of Team Seven weeping over a fallen Uchiha was not lost on him either. Any doubts he'd had about abandoning the mission evaporated as he roughly grabbed Tazuna's shoulder and yanked him around so he was staring right at Kakashi's bloodied face. "I need a boat, one capable of carrying me and my students back to Hi no Kuni." Kakashi ordered in a harsh undertone. "Now."

Tazuna looked startled for a moment, and then became angry. "But what about my bridge…" his objections suddenly trailed off as he glanced back at the wailing Sakura.

"We've stopped Zabuza and his accomplice, so Gato is unlikely to have any more shinobi to send after you for now." Kakashi almost spat, feeling a great surge of anger and torment both for Tazuna and for himself for agreeing to continue the mission after the Demon Brothers' attack. "One of my students has already died for you and your bridge. Another might well be dead before I can catch up to him again. This mission _is over_."

Tazuna blanched, but gave a resigned nod as his shoulders slumped tiredly. "All right, I understand-"

Tazuna and Kakashi both froze as they heard a pained moan followed by Sakura's excited cry of "Sasuke-kun! You're alive!"

"…Sakura…you're…_heavy_…" Sasuke groaned as he weakly pushed his teammate away from him.

Kakashi blinked in surprise, and then felt a surge of joy. _'Of course…senbon…Haku must have put him into a deathlike state as well…'_ Kakashi hadn't cried in a very long time, but in that moment, he truly thought he was about to start weeping with joy. Sasuke was alive –the question of _why_ would have to wait for later- Kakashi hadn't failed a teammate again, hadn't failed Obito again… Even Tazuna was smiling happily and brushing a tear from his eye at the sight of Sasuke being fussed over by Sakura.

Then Kakashi froze in realization. Naruto was still out there. Nothing had changed about how critical their situation was. In fact, despite his joy at Sasuke's survival, Kakashi knew that they were in an even worse position than before. Carrying the body of one student in a scroll and the living one on his back would have been simple enough. Carrying a weakened and wounded one, in addition to having another student who was unable to keep up the pace they'd need to catch Naruto was an entirely different animal altogether.

Kakashi turned to study the horizon, trying to calculate his options as best as he could and not liking the conclusions he was coming to. He'd never catch up to his sensei's son while dragging a wounded student with him. Adding in Sakura would only slow them down even more. The only way he was going to catch up to Naruto would be if he left by himself, immediately. But that would require leaving his other students behind to fend for themselves. And Sasuke would make a lovely target of opportunity to any shinobi knowledgeable enough to know just what that fan crest on his back signified.

Objectively speaking, Kakashi knew that Naruto was more important to the Village than Sasuke or Sakura. Not to say that the Village didn't place some value on Sasuke, but the fact of the matter was, Konoha had many Bloodlines, and could always acquire more if need be. There were only a maximum of _nine_ Jinchuuriki in the world, and acquiring one from one of the other Hidden Villages to replace Naruto and the Kyuubi could trigger the next Great Shinobi War in one way or another. Any one of Konoha's leadership would undoubtedly say that retrieving Naruto was worth the _possible_ loss of two Genin. Most would even say that Kakashi had a duty to do so. And in that moment, Kakashi felt like he could truly understand what was going through his father's mind when he made that fateful decision that had eventually cost him his life. And in the end, Kakashi could understand his decision as well.

Carefully lifting Sasuke off the ground, Kakashi turned back to Tazuna. "We need to get back to your house. Once there, I'll send Sakura to retrieve your family."

Tazuna jolted at that, staring at Kakashi first in confusion, then in angry disbelief, followed by a brief burst of rage, before slumping down once again and nodding. At any other time, Kakashi would have taken note at how easily Tazuna submitted to his demands rather than his usual balking and blustering, but right then he was too busy planning his next moves. He'd need to get Sasuke medical attention, try to track down Gato and deal with him permanently so he could leave his students alone for a couple of days while he tried to find Naruto, and then arrange for that boat back to the mainland. He'd also need to send a message to the Hokage to inform him of the situation, something he knew would definitely anger the Sandaime. Having once seen the result of the aged Kage's anger, Kakashi couldn't help but shiver at the thought of being on the receiving end.

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Kakashi glanced back to the west and spotted storm clouds on the horizon, moving quickly to the east and the ocean separating Nami no Kuni from the mainland.

Turning back, Kakashi increased his pace as much as a rookie Genin and an old civilian could match. _'God damn it, I don't have _time_ for this!' _he snarled to himself before whipping around in wide-eyed disbelief as he placed the _true _cause of his discomfort.

Zabuza was gone.

* * *

**Translations:**

Kokuangyou no Jutsu=Journey into Black Darkness Technique

Mizu Bunshin=Water Clone

Did I miss any?

* * *

**AN:** And there's the final chapter of the Wave Arc. Not to say that everything in Wave itself is all nicely wrapped up or anything, just that the story will be moving into new territory now.

The idea with Naruto bolting isn't that unintentionally killing Haku led to Naruto going AWOL. The idea is that, combined with his feeling of betrayal by Haku –with all of the confusion of her being someone he'd been in lust with on top of the subtle effects of her bloodline- the rather messy way he'd killed her, and his sudden realization that Mizuki might have been telling the truth, as well as the fact that Kakashi didn't look the slightest bit surprised, all within the span of maybe a minute at most, with the Kyuubi's chakra still going through him –screwing with his mind and emotions _even more_- simply overwhelmed him and he panicked. That his panic took him towards the edge of the bridge instead of back into Nami was mere chance.

In all honestly, I never thought I could write Naruto's semi romance with Haku in the time frame I had available. I actually thought the best I could do with their relationship was friendship. That I actually not only pulled it off, but most people seemed to like it, surprised me to no end. Which made it all the more bitter sweet to finally reach the bridge scene, as the confrontation between Naruto and Haku was always something I wanted to happen no matter what, as it was crucial for setting up the long awaited confrontation between Sarutobi and Naruto. Of course, now I really want to write a story where the two do get together, and I can't help but wonder if I could pull off having Haku survive...

The shadow thing isn't canon –as far as I know- but I always thought the image was incredibly powerful and not utilized to its fullest.

As for Zabuza's disappearing act, there are two things to keep in mind. One, Zabuza is almost a full foot taller than Haku, yet when Haku jumped between them, the Chidori hit her chest –which would only be about the same height as Zabuza's upper stomach. A serious blow, but not as serious as the chest. Second…whatever happened to Zabuza's _other_ three followers in Canon? Does this mean Zabuza or Haku is going to be making another appearance? No. Does it mean he isn't dead? Nope. Does their disappearance mean he's alive? Nope. All that can be confirmed right now is that Zabuza is unaccounted for.

Peace, Vaan.


	28. Chapter 27

**Words-249579, Chapters-27, Reviews-1201, Hits-665808, C2s-141, Favs-1872 Alerts-1899**

* * *

**AN:** Ok, bare with me here. This chapter gave me a ridiculous amount of trouble. On top of that, I'm going to try to remove one of the author notes and replace it with this chapter. **Unfortunately, this means that my review count is going to be screwed up. So, as inconvenient as it will be, if you reviewed the chapter before this one BEFORE today, and you wish to review this latest chapter, please sign out and leave an anonymous review with your name, so I can still answer/reply to it. I'm sure this will be extremely annoying, but I really do enjoy reading reviews, and I find the feedback extremely helpful. Thank you.**

Also, I've officially decided to change the name of this story to Naruto: Shadows of the Mind. Changing the name has been something I've wanted to do for some time, but never really got around to. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 27 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.

* * *

'_THOUGHTS'_

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Barkeep had been a bartender for…well, as long as he could remember. That was why he considered his name to be Barkeep, since that's what everyone already called him, and it seemed like it had been such a long time since someone had called him Yoshi. That, and Yoshi was such a…_mediocre_ name. He much preferred the added mystique of being known only as "Barkeep".

And since he had been a bartender for so much of his life, he knew from the moment he set his eyes on the young ninja, that tonight was going to be one of _those_ nights.

The kid who stumbled into his bar was obviously a ninja based not only on the Konoha hitae-ate he wore on his forehead –before tearing it off and dropping it on the bar as if it burned- but also because of all of the weapons pouches he had strapped to him. Even worse, is that the kid looked like absolute hell, his clothing torn and dirtied, splotches of dried blood mixing with dirt and the smell of sweat. But what really let Barkeep know he was in for a rough night, was the utterly exhausted and haunted look in the blond's eyes.

People looking like that didn't come to bars, unless they intended to drown their sorrows in alcohol. And while ordinary patrons could become a danger when they got too far into their drinks, a _ninja_ was many times worse. Particularly since when you combined that look and a ton of alcohol, plus all of the tension and paranoia an average shinobi possessed…and you had a patron who might not only lose it at any second, but when they _did_, it was almost guaranteed that people were going to be killed.

Things only became worse as far as Barkeep was concerned when the scarred kid collapsed onto a barstool and tried ordering a drink. Try being the key word, as it was obvious that ninja or no ninja, this kid was not a drinker. Meaning he had no idea what kind of drinks he should order or why, caring only about getting drunk. And while Barkeep might kick out such a customer any other time…he wasn't suicidal enough to think he could force a ninja to do anything.

Mentally scoffing as he watched the blond choke and gag as he chugged down his third sake bottle, he briefly considered trying to intervene. Whether to tell the rookie drinker to use a saucer, or at least take smaller sips or to even offer his ear as he did from time to time so the kid could let out whatever it was that had him so… depressed. Then he took a glance at the blade at the ninja's shoulder and he remembered why he wanted nothing to do with ninja. And while he didn't like watching people kill themselves with alcohol, neither was he going to put his own life on the line to stop them.

Glancing to the door as it swung open, Barkeep felt his spirits rise immensely at the sight of his newest customer. She was quite the beauty, maybe five foot four inches tall, with her waist length blonde hair held back in two loose ponytails. And while her clothing wasn't as…_provocative_ as Barkeep might have preferred, he could still tell that she had some magnificent breasts judging from the cleavage he could see. And best of all, she didn't look anything like any ninja he'd ever seen, which meant that she wasn't liable to break his limbs if he hit on her.

_'Oh yeah…'_ Barkeep thought to himself as the woman made her way to the bar. _'I play my cards right, and maybe__ I- Damn it…'_ he trailed off as the woman took a seat next to the ninja, seemingly unnoticing or uncaring of the visible weapons or the hitae-ate lying on the bar top.

"Oi, barkeep!" the woman called out with an air of sullenness. "Sake, one saucer, two bottles to start with, and start a tab for me!"

Half-heartedly wondering if he could subtly convince the blond bombshell to move away from the ninja before the kid snapped –or decided he fancied the woman for himself- Barkeep moved to place the requested drinks in front of the woman, sighing when the blond kid started coughing down another gulp of sake, the woman glancing at the ninja for a second before her eyes widened slightly and took on a noticeably interested look. _'Of course the kid would get the girl…__damn ninja, always scooping up the good looking ones…'_

* * *

Naruto hacked and coughed violently as he struggled to gulp down another mouthful of sake, feeling his already abused throat screaming in protest. _'How the fuck does Anko drink this shit?'_ Naruto wondered bitterly as he set the bottle down with slightly more force than necessary. Even worse, the _one _symptom of drinking that he was deliberately trying to induce was the one that seemed to be eluding him. He was still thinking.

Thinking was bad. Naruto didn't want to be able to think right now, because all he _could _think about was how he had recently learned he might not even be _human_.

_"You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"_

_A monstrous shadow stretching out behind him in the form of a fox, nine tails waving cha__otically as Naruto realized it was _his _shadow._

_Panicking, running, jumping, an uncontrollable energy rushing through him and lending him the sheer chakra capacity needed to _skate_ across the water separating him from the mainland._

Naruto flinched and grabbed the bottle and threw it back once again, choking the bitter drink down before sliding the now empty bottle across the bar, the bartender absentmindedly catching it and glancing toward him. Naruto didn't say anything –his lips had gone strangely numb some time ago, and as such weren't useful for much beyond forcing down more alcoholic beverages- merely gesturing for another bottle.

The bartender looked somewhat disgruntled –though that might have just been his imagination, as Naruto had lost the ability to see clearly shortly after he'd lost the feeling in his lips- but he set another bottle down in front of Naruto regardless.

Eying the bottle distastefully, Naruto briefly wondered if this was really such a good idea. The stuff really was terrible, and despite drinking almost nonstop since he came in, Naruto still hadn't reached the point where he could no longer think.

_"Let's see you hide now you fucking monster!"_

_"You killed our son, his wife, and our unborn grandchild. And if you're not stopped, you'll do__ it again."_

Squeezing his eyes shut as if that would make the thoughts stop, Naruto snatched up the bottle and began chugging it down despite his protesting throat.

_"But you were just a child once too. So why would he see you a threat and not them?"_

_"Why w__ould he wait so long if he wanted you gone?"_

_"What could the Shinobi no Kami possibly find threatening about a little boy?"_

Naruto let out a bitter laugh, drawing several looks from the other patrons but he couldn't be bothered to care. What indeed. He hadn't been a child prodigy, or a clan scion, or anything other than an average child. He had been _nothing_. Yet the Old Man had always been there, from as far back as he could remember. Him and his Anbu, always hiding, always watching…

_"You are the Kyuubi no __Kitsune!"_

…was it possible? Could he be the Kyuubi? It would explain a couple things. Like why so many people back in Konoha seemed to be so uneasy around him, why they always stared at him like he was a strange dog that might suddenly bite. It would explain why the Old Man went to such lengths to keep him under surveillance, why he'd bother hiding all of those many seals in his first apartment. And of course, it explained why the Old Man was trying to kill him.

Of course they'd try to kill the Kyuubi. Of course the Old Man would have him followed, waiting for the right moment to finish him. If he was the Kyuubi that is.

Naruto would know if was, wouldn't he?

Naruto snorted as he took another gulp. Who was he kidding? Naruto could fill a thimble with all of his knowledge of the Bijuu outside the stories of the Kyuubi attack. Was it even _possible_ for a Bijuu to take human form? And if he _was _the Kyuubi, why would he take human form? Why something as small and frail as a young child? Naruto might not be able to recall it with perfect clarity, but he _did_ recollect being three or so, with a handful of older memories of the Old Man. Did the Old Man or the Yondaime do something to make him human? And if they did, why would they wait? Why wouldn't they just kill him then and there? Were there some specific circumstances that had to be fulfilled before he was capable of dying?

Naruto felt a surge of hysterical laughter welling up inside him and with great effort forced it back down. Look at him, actually wondering if he was a stories tall demonic fox in human form. Maybe he really was as crazy as Shikamaru always said…

Swaying in his seat, Naruto's chaotic thoughts quickly went down a path he desperately wanted to avoid. Almost everyone in the Village seemed to know him on sight, seemed _wary _of him. Which implied that Yoshino knew too. And Teuchi, and Anko, and Genma, and…

…and Kurenai.

She _had_ to know. The things Kurenai had said, how she had known about the seals at his first apartment, the way she was so determined to worm her way into his life, to earn his trust, his adoration…there was no way she _didn't_ know.

_'And she never said a damn thing.'_ Naruto snarled silently, a chaotic mixture of anger and pain and _betrayal _and sadness and a dozen other unidentifiable emotions surging from deep inside. Too far gone in his drunken state to control his reactions, Naruto's hand began _squeezing_, cracking the simple sake bottle ever so slightly. But that was enough. Or more specifically, the _sound _of the cracking, so similar to cracking ice, was all it took.

And then Naruto realized that there were worse things right now than thinking. There was _remembering._

_"Naruto, stop!" Haku cried out as she threw herself out of the mirror, on the verge of a complete breakdown as the mirror sha__ttered easily before Naruto's rage. "Please, we don't have to fight! I-I don't want to fight you!"_

_She threw up an arm as if to plead with him and Naruto effortlessly batted it aside and punched her in the chest. His hand effortlessly pierced through her c__hest and out her back, a wave of blood pouring down around his hand and arm. Haku convulsed on his arm, coughing up blood as she slowly, painfully lifted her head so her eyes –her tear filled, _wild_ eyes he noticed for the first time- met his own. Then she __gently reached up to stroke his cheek, whispering "I'm sorry…" before planting a bloody, passionate kiss on his mouth. Then she was dead._

Naruto just barely held in an anguished sob as he threw back the bottle once again, coughing in an almost ridiculous manner as he struggled to down the liquid and _keep_ it down. _'Maybe thinking isn't so bad after all…'_ Naruto thought to himself hazily. _'It's better than _remembering_ at any rate…'_

"…Naruto…?"

Naruto froze in horror as he finally heard his name being said through the jumbled mess that he was hearing around him, though he had no idea what else had been said before or after. Shaking uncontrollably at the impossibility of that voice sounding so _familiar_, Naruto slowly swayed on his barstool so he was facing that familiar voice. "…Haku?" Naruto whispered as he stared at the woman seated beside him.

* * *

Tsunade sighed irritably as she ducked into a bar, having finally lost Shizune. That woman was getting increasingly talented at tracking her down, which wouldn't be a bad thing if she wasn't such a killjoy. Honestly, was it too much to ask for Tsunade to be allowed to enjoy a bottle of sake every now and then while having fun in the local gambling halls? So what if she lost more often than she won?

Well, when she didn't cheat that is –after all, Tsunade was a kage level ninja with some fairly serious debts, so sometimes her luck needed a little help. But more often than not, Tsunade gambled fair and square. After all, the fact that she _could _lose was half the fun of gambling.

But lately, Shizune had become rather intolerable, always going on about how Tsunade should "stop losing all of our money" or "don't you think you're drinking a little _too_ much" and due to _one_ joke she'd made to the local yakuza, "please don't offer me up as collateral in your gambling". Seriously, Tsunade had only been _joking_ –she would never contemplate using _people _as her wages one way or the other- yet ever since, Shizune had been on the warpath, confiscating her sake and hiding their money in an attempt to get Tsunade to "reform". So, from time to time Tsunade felt the need to get away from her nagging apprentice and just unwind over some nice sake, with perhaps a dice game or two thrown in.

This particular bar seemed more or less respectable –or at least, as much as a bar can be without becoming a tavern or inn- though it didn't seem particularly busy. Although, that would probably be more helpful in avoiding Shizune, who was sure to go looking for crowded bars in search of any gambling that Tsunade might have decided to get involved in. The only problem as far as Tsunade saw it was that the sole customer –that is, the only one who looked like he had any money- was a ninja.

The blonde's profession was rather obvious to anyone who so much as glanced his way. Between the hitae-ate lying on the bar top in front of him and all of the weapons pouches the kid was wearing –with no attempts to hide either- it was laughably easy to identify the kid as a ninja.

Tsunade's moment of hesitation was so slight that most wouldn't have even seen it, before she was striding confidently toward the bar. After all, it was just _one _kid and few if any ninja that young could pose a serious threat to her. Besides, teenagers loved to gamble right? How hard would it be to get the kid to play a friendly game of dice with her?

Sitting down next to the young boy with a pleasant smile, Tsunade was surprised that she apparently didn't even warrant a glance. Setting aside the fact that she knew she was considered rather beautiful; most ninja would give a stranger at least a little scrutiny in order to determine whether or not they might be a threat. This kid didn't even look like he'd noticed her.

Tsunade was _not _used to being ignored, and she didn't like it much either. "Oi, barkeep!" she called out with an air of sullenness. "Sake, one saucer, two bottles to start with, and start a tab for me!" With that out of the way, Tsunade studied the kid out of the corner of her eye, trying to decide how she would play this.

She wasn't a fan of playing the ditzy airhead for rather obvious reasons, and the hopeless drunk routine probably wouldn't work on someone as plastered as the teen looked. So how should she cajole him into a wager or two?

Perhaps the naïve tourist act would work… although she could always go with the old "strip gambling" routine. There weren't many types of gambling –or competitions in general- that couldn't be turned into a strip version of some type or another, and men both young and old were always eager to take her up on _that_ offer. Of course, Tsunade made sure she never lost anything other than her coat –which she made sure to win back from time to time so she could "lose" it again- so really, it was a more or less failsafe way to earn some cash. The added distraction her opponents always seemed to suffer from weren't really necessary, but it was nice for her to win without cheating sometimes.

On the other hand, she could always forget about gambling with him and just get the kid to buy her drinks for her. Sure, she might not have as much fun as she would gambling, but at least the drinks would be covered by someone else.

Glancing at the kid out of the corner of her eye again, Tsunade frowned as she was struck by the oddest sense of deja vu. She was sure she'd never met him before, yet at the same time, there was definitely something familiar about him. She was shaken from her thoughts when the kid suddenly flinched, before grabbing the bottle in front of him and pounding it back, choking and coughing even as he stubbornly drained the bottle.

"You want to take it easy there, kid?" Tsunade asked with a hint of condescension. "You're meant to sip that stuff, or at most take a saucer's worth, not chug it straight from the bottle." Well, not unless you were a far more experienced drinker than this kid was.

Tsunade felt her eye twitch when the boy continued to ignore her, before scoffing and pouring herself a saucer. As she did so, her eyes fell on the hitae-ate, immediately noting the symbol of Konoha engraved on it. Her first instinct on seeing that hated symbol was to punt the kid back towards the Village, but she reminded herself that the kid was already here and completely plastered before she showed up, and as such was unlikely to be here on some kind of mission to recall her or ask for her help in one task or another.

It didn't happen often –something which she attributed to her old sensei shielding her- but Konoha shinobi did show up from time to time, sometimes on behalf of an elder or clan head back in Konoha, sometimes on their own asking for her help or training. Tsunade considered it an act of extreme generosity that she only left such ninja trapped in a Genjutsu, or at most, scrambled their nervous system for a day or two, rather than giving in to her baser urges and beating them into bloody pulps.

Still, that the kid was from her home Village might go a long way to explain why he seemed familiar. She'd probably met him when he was much younger, or met a relative that he resembled. Tsunade frowned as she turned in her seat to openly study the kid. Granted, she could only see the right side of his face, but the more she stared at him, the more certain she was that she'd never met a relative of his. For one, the only blonds she knew back in Konoha were predominately from the Yamanaka clan –which this kid didn't share anything with beyond the color of his hair- and those few who weren't didn't look anything like this kid.

Tsunade studied the boy more closely, noting a lack of any clan or family symbols anywhere on his clothing. An orphan then? Or just one of the few ninja who placed a higher value on anonymity rather than their surname? If it was the latter, then the kid probably shouldn't have tattooed lines on his face- _'Wait a minute…'_

Those lines…those weren't tattoos, they were _birthmarks_. Why did birthmarks in that shape strike such a chord within her? _'Why do I _know_ you?'_ Tsunade wondered to herself as she leaned closer to the still oblivious boy, studying what she could see of his face. Blond hair. Birthmarks on the face. A single blue eye with a slit pupil, almost like-

Tsunade sat back suddenly as the answer finally struck her. Almost before she knew what she was doing, Tsunade was asking, "Hey kid, your name is…Naruto, right?" It was largely a rhetorical question, as now that she knew who she was looking at, Tsunade could easily see the resemblance between the drunken teenager in front of her and the sleepy babe Sarutobi had brought her so long ago.

At first the teen didn't seem to hear her –or continued to ignore her- until she uttered his name. Then Naruto froze, before beginning to shake as he drunkenly whirled towards her, his eyes full of recognition much to Tsunade's chagrin. Just because she knew who he was didn't mean she wanted him to know who _she _was. The last thing she needed was a drunken teen begging her for training or some such thing.

"…Haku?" Naruto croaked out in a voice filled with such emotion that Tsunade couldn't help but blink in confusion. Particularly when the kid reached a shaky hand towards her. "Haku…is…is that really you?"

Looking into those familiar slitted blue eyes –and surprised by the two prominent scars marring his left cheek- she was actually somewhat shocked by the sheer _longing_ intermixed with guilt and sadness in them. Then she felt her jaw drop when his eyes blearily dropped to her chest, the longing look instantly replaced by sadness and self-loathing. "You're not Haku… breasts are too big…"

Tsunade made a strangled sound, half amused and half indignant that the kid had actually just said that. In all her years, the _one _thing that no one had ever said about her chest was the size being too big. Tsunade honestly wasn't sure how to respond to such a comment. Well, other than punching the brat in the face for ogling her of course.

Even worse, as soon as he declared her "not Haku" Naruto had seemingly gone back to ignoring her –which did nothing for her temper- and chugging down yet another bottle before slamming it down with far too much force, shattering the bottle and driving several shards into his hand.

Despite knowing what was about to happen, Tsunade was unable to look away before she caught sight of Naruto's blood, and once she did, it was too late. Tsunade's eyes widened with a whimper, and despite desperately wanting to look away or close her eyes, she couldn't stop staring at the blood.

One of the things Tsunade hated most about her fear of blood, even more than the fact that it prevented her from being the one thing she'd always taken consummate pride in –a Medic-nin- was that it was so Goddamn unpredictable. Most of the time, she could see a small amount of blood and be fine aside from a little queasiness. Sometimes, she'd be fine, or at least able to function so long as there wasn't a pint's worth of blood in sight. And sometimes, all it took were a few small cuts on the hand to completely shut her down.

Her breathing grew increasingly erratic as her heart kicked into overdrive, almost as if the organ itself was attempting to escape her chest and run away from the blood. If that weren't bad enough, she felt nauseatingly dizzy, swaying on her seat as if _she_ were the one completely plastered, even as her body was wracked by increasingly violent shaking.

And then Naruto started pulling the shards from his hand in little spurts of blood, which only made things even worse.

"P-please…stop…" Tsunade begged weakly, instantly hating herself for the breathy way her words came out, on top of the knowledge that so long as she was in the grip of her hemophobia she was all but helpless and at the mercy of a drunken teenager. Or anyone else who came along for that matter.

Apparently Naruto heard her, or noticed her trembling and wide, panicky eyes, because he looked up from his hand to frown at her in confusion. "What's wrong with you?" he slurred as he blinked hazily at her.

Words failed her at that moment, and all Tsunade could do was make a pitiful keening sound that she instantly hated herself for. Then her breath hitched in her chest as Naruto reached out towards her with his bleeding hand. He probably intended to grab her shoulder or give her a little shake or something, but all Tsunade could focus on was the _blood_ coming _right at her_!

Even in her state, Tsunade still wanted to cringe at the high pitched shriek she let out at the sight of the bloody hand closing in on her. In her panic, Tsunade reacted on the instinctive desire to get the source of her fear as far away from her as possible, lashing out to push Naruto away from her before he could actually lay hands on her. Unfortunately for Naruto, unlike other terrified women, Tsunade had the kind of brute strength necessary to send people flying with a finger flick. So, when she shoved him away with both hands, he _flew _off the barstool with an audible crack of ribs giving way, before crashing _t__hrough_ the cheap wooden wall of the bar.

But his flight didn't end there. Such was the force behind Tsunade's shove that Naruto soared across the street, through the display window of a tailor's shop, the shelves behind it, and into the opposite, _stone_ wall, where his flight ended with several more cracks.

* * *

"Where _is_ that woman?" Shizune muttered to herself as she stalked through the streets of Otafuku Gai in search of her friend and mentor. She had looked away for all of a second to examine a strand of colorful beads –which she thought would look quite nice on Tonton- and when she glanced back Tsunade had disappeared. Again.

Grumbling uncomplimentary things to herself about her wayward teacher, Shizune worked hard to ignore the little ball of dread in the pit of her stomach. _'Probably off drinking or gambling away all of our money, or both…'_ Shizune thought heatedly, using the anger at Tsunade's antics to block out some of her more deeply seated fears. _'She's…she's not…it's not like she would…'_

Shuddering slightly, Shizune couldn't help but ponder some of the little signs she'd noticed in Tsunade lately. That the woman was an alcoholic gambling addict wasn't bad enough, but over the last two or three years, Tsunade's behavior had taken something of a downturn. Whereas before Tsunade would at least make the _attempt_ to help out at the local hospital or village healer –even if that help only came in the form of advice or walking Shizune through a procedure- now she didn't even spare such places a glance. She'd actually _ignored_ a wailing child who'd fallen from a nearby tree and broken his arm, something that just a year ago would have had her instantly at the child's side. Tsunade didn't even teach her anymore unless Shizune was somehow able to force her to, usually by hiding her sake while they were in between villages or towns.

If that weren't bad enough, Tsunade's gambling addiction had actually worsened, leading her to uncaringly make ridiculously large bets –often putting an entire loan onto a single gamble- and even going so far as to bet things that she not only would have _never_ have done in the past, but would have beaten a man to a pulp just for suggesting. Things like betting her clothing, or even her sexual favors, which Tsunade used to consider an insult to her pride as a woman and a kunoichi. Granted, Tsunade hadn't _lost _any of those bets yet, but the fact that she would not only agree, but actually make the offer herself would have been unheard of just a year or two ago.

Now such bets were Tsunade's way of convincing people to gamble with her in the first place.

In essence, Tsunade just didn't seem to _care_ anymore. About _anything_. And that scared Shizune more than she wanted to admit. No one understood just how depressed Tsunade still was after all these years better than Shizune, and she was terrified that Tsunade's sudden lack of caring or interest in _anything_ outside of drinking and gambling might be a symptom of suicidal tendencies.

_'Stop it!' _Shizune scolded herself angrily as she turned onto a street she hadn't searched yet. _'You're just imagining things! Tsunade-sama would never…she's not that bad-'_

Shizune was broken from her thoughts as a human form crashed out of a nearby building, missing her by mere inches, before smashing through the display window of the tailor's shop she was standing by. Hearing an audible crunch when the person's flight was stopped by the wall inside, Shizune flinched in at the sound of breaking bones, before quickly turning to the bar across the street.

Shizune knew that there were others who had the kind of strength and temper to do such a thing, but the odds of them being in the same city as Tsunade, and in a bar as well, struck her as highly unlikely.

_'I wonder what he did to make Tsunade-sama that mad?' _Shizune wondered as she entered the bar, fully expecting to have to calm down an enraged or annoyed Sannin before checking to make sure she hadn't killed whoever it was that had warranted such a treatment. _'I hope he did something to deserve it, like trying to get her to __bet her clothes or body…at least that would be an improvement over Tsunade-sama's recent attitude…'_

So one can imagine her surprise when she found Tsunade sitting alone at the bar with both arms extended as if she had just pushed someone, her eyes tightly clenched shut.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune called worriedly. "What's going on? Why did you hit that person?"

Her mentor's eyes suddenly snapped open, a look of dread and horror filling them before Tsunade was suddenly dashing out the hole in the wall with an almost…panicked haste.

Blinking, Shizune began to chase after her, sparing a glance at the bar and wincing as she spotted the small amount of blood and the Konoha hitae-ate lying there. Pausing just long enough to scoop the hitae-ate up, Shizune quickly darted out of the bar after her mentor, though she didn't have to go far.

Tsunade was huddling in the doorway of the tailor's shop, her eyes firmly shut and facing away from the crumpled form of a young teenager lying in a heap at the back of the store. Sensing Shizune's presence, Tsunade softly ordered, "Help him."

Despite her concern for the situation –they really couldn't afford to pay for the damages and unless he did something extremely out of line, Konoha was unlikely to ignore Tsunade's actions towards one of their shinobi- Shizune couldn't help but feel a slight surge of hope as she headed inside to examine the boy's battered body. It had been a long time since Tsunade cared enough to see someone healed, particularly if she was the one who injured them in the first place.

Taking in his injuries, which included a number or broken bones and lacerations, Shizune quickly healed any cut on the boy, before using a Ninjutsu designed for cleaning up blood, and then called Tsunade in. After all, so long as there was no blood in sight, Tsunade would be able to help her deal with the young man's broken bones and other internal injuries and between the two of them, there was little that they couldn't heal.

Working together, it didn't take long to stabilize the boy, who Shizune couldn't help but feel was somewhat familiar. Granted, he still required a great deal of medical attention, but at least he wasn't going to die, and the local medical establishment would be more than capable of dealing with the rest of his injuries. Really though, Shizune couldn't help but frown disapprovingly at her teacher.

More often than not, the people Tsunade beat usually earned it somehow or another and even then, Tsunade always made sure not to cause _too_ much damage. Certainly not enough that would require hospitalization. So that Tsunade would lash out at this boy to _this_ degree…well, he better have done something rather severe to earn this, or Shizune was going to be extremely cross.

Turning to question her mentor, Shizune was caught off-guard when the older woman was already speaking. "Help me get him back to the hotel. Don't jostle him too much; his bones are still incredibly fragile." Blinking, Shizune couldn't keep the disbelief from her face at Tsunade's words. That she'd want to keep the boy from dying, sure. That Tsunade would heal him, arrange for him to be taken to a hospital, Shizune could understand. That she would want to oversee the boy's healing herself was…well, Shizune would have seen it as a marked improvement over the last few years. But that she would want to do so from their hotel room? That was unheard of, not to mention making no sense.

Not sure what else to do –and admittedly curious as to why Tsunade wanted to take him back to their hotel- Shizune helped her teacher stabilize the teenager for transport, and with the aid of a slight Genjutsu, the two women were able to get the young man off the street and back to their hotel without attracting any attention. Once there, she helped settle the blond in a bed, spending a ridiculous amount of time stripping him down to his underwear, mainly due to the sheer amount of weaponry and equipment he was carrying.

Finally, after close to half an hour of effort, Tsunade stepped away from the now bandage wrapped and battered blond, collapsing into a chair and massaging her forehead tiredly. "Getting rusty…" the legendary kunoichi muttered disparagingly to herself.

Shizune's eyebrows shot up at that. She couldn't remember the last time Tsunade had criticized herself or her actions, and combined with her attacking this young shinobi, then so frantically working to heal him, Shizune couldn't hold back her questions any more. "So what happened exactly?" Shizune asked curiously. "Who is this young man?" _And why did you beat him to a pulp? _Being the unasked question.

"What, you don't recognize the brat?" Tsunade asked with a slight chuckle. "The last time you saw him you couldn't stop cooing over him."

Shizune blinked in confusion, before studying the boy's face more closely. Blond hair, birthmarks on his cheeks, someone she "cooed over" when last she saw him…

"Naruto-chan?!" Shizune blurted as she suddenly placed why the boy was so familiar. "What's he doing in Otafuku Gai? And why would you knock him through a wall?!"

"It was an accident…" Tsunade muttered defensively. "It's not like I _meant_ to do it. It just sort of happened."

"How do you _accidentally_ break someone's ribs and knock them through a wall?" Shizune asked rhetorically. "You've never done that kind of damage before unless you _mean__t _to do it." She continued her scolding.

"It was the blood, alright?" Tsunade retorted with a scowl. "I panicked."

Shizune blinked, her mouth snapping shut as she studied her mentor intently. There were certain things that Tsunade rarely did. One was admitting that she was wrong. Another was admitting that she was scared. Unsure how to continue, Shizune instead glanced over Naruto again, marveling at how much he had grown in the last fourteen years. Hard to believe that the last time she'd seen Naruto, he had been able to fit in the crook of one arm with room to spare. Now he had to be almost as tall as herself.

"Is that why we're not taking him to the hospital?" Shizune asked curiously. "Because really, this hotel isn't exactly up to medical standards…"

Tsunade fixed her with a disbelieving look, before shaking her head with a rueful snort. "I forgot that I never told you. Naruto," she explained as she gestured at the unconscious blond. "is Konoha's Jinchuuriki."

Shizune jerked at the revelation, eyes darting worriedly to Naruto's unconscious form and back to her teacher. That certainly explained why they weren't going to take him to the local hospital. An unguarded, helpless Jinchuuriki? There wasn't a Hidden Village or shinobi faction in the _world_ that wouldn't take Naruto if they stumbled across him. That was the kind of opportunity that deep cover intelligence operatives would abandon years if not decades of work to seize.

Add in the risk of what may or may not happen to the Kyuubi if Naruto died.

As Tsunade grudgingly explained what had happened back in that bar, Shizune found herself frowning at the scars that marred Naruto's face, noticing something that made her uneasy almost immediately. "Tsunade-sama…" Shizune began with a worried frown, her teacher answering before she could finish her words.

"I noticed them." Tsunade interrupted with a frown of her own. "They're old scars…and they're placement was deliberate."

The air was heavy with the implications, and Shizune was suddenly glad that Tsunade had insisted on bringing Naruto back with them. He wasn't wearing a Chuunin vest –which didn't really mean much overall- but no Genin –especially a Jinchuuriki Genin- would be allowed to wander around on his own, and no Jounin –_especially_ a Jinchuuriki Jounin- would do something as foolish as getting drunk in a random bar…well, not unless they were on the level of Tsunade, which, Kyuubi or not, was impossible for such a young man. So what was Naruto doing here?

Scooping up Tonton for comfort, Shizune took a seat next to her teacher, the two women settling in to wait for Naruto to wake up.

* * *

_"Naruto-sama… Naruto-sama, wake up." a familiar voice urged softly. "Naruto-sama, you need to wake up. How many times do I have to tell you, you'll catch a cold sleeping outside__ like this?"_

_Naruto blinked though sleep encrusted eyes up at a mock exasperated Haku. "And I've told _you_, it's dangerous to approach a sleeping man in the middle of nowhere. Especially when you _know _he's a ninja."_

_Haku just sat back with a huff, drawing a__ fond smile from him. "I don't believe you'd ever harm me, Naruto-sama. Besides, this time you didn't-" Haku broke off with an agonized scream as some massive _thing_ rose up behind her and sunk its jaws into her neck and shoulder, savaging her like a dog wi__th a bone as a single limb wrapped around her stomach. The member was neither wholly a paw nor a hand, but somewhere in between, tipped with huge black claws which proceeded to tear savage gashes across Haku's torso._

_For a moment, Naruto could only stare i__n shocked horror, his mind struggling to understand what it was he was seeing. Then Haku let out a second scream and Naruto was on his feet, charging forward and grabbing the whatever-it-was around its throat and jaws, putting all his strength into prying __its jaws apart and away from Haku._

_Much to his surprise, the creature let him, releasing the wailing girl and allowing Naruto to whip it away from her without resistance. Naruto was surprised, but only for a moment, quickly pulling the beast around and pin__ning it against a tree with one hand while reaching for his knife with the other._

_In that moment, Naruto got a clear look at it, feeling a surge of some primal, ancient fear, which screamed at him to run, run fast and far. The thing was a… fox…in the same__ way Naruto was a gorilla, or a reptile is a bird. There were some similarities, but you'd never confuse one for the other. It was vaguely humanoid, standing maybe five and a half feet tall, with hunched shoulders. The thing was wider than Naruto was; mayb__e five or six hundred pounds of muscle that made Naruto wonder just how it was able to conceal most of its body behind Haku, let alone sneak up on them. Its pelt was blood red, as were its slitted eyes, and its muzzle was far too wide to be natural, filled__ with teeth that looked like they could bite through _stone_ like it was butter. Its limbs were…disproportionate. Not as in too long or too short but just…_wrong_. Not as wrong as the ears though. They were nearly as long as a rabbit's –if a rabbit could ever __get that big- yet the appendages seemed to be a part of the thing's _eye sockets_. It was actually difficult to tell where the eye sockets ended and the ears began._

_Naruto stood frozen, the fox "held" up against the tree by his left hand while his right rema__ined poised to drive his knife through its heart. And yet he couldn't move. Even worse, Naruto was trembling, just a fraction away from shaking like a leaf._

_Then the fox thing was gone, and Naruto stared in horror at himself. Where the fox had once been wa__s a mirror image of Naruto, with only one key difference. The doppelganger's eyes were still blood red. Then it _grinned _an impossibly wide grin –literally, cracks formed at each corner of the clone's mouth, before spreading in a line up across the cheeks a__ccompanied by a series of sounds like snapping bones. Once the cracks reached the ears, they split open, revealing the same teeth as before. And then it _spoke_ in an otherworldly voice, "You should give her a try, Naruto. You might like it."_

_"Na-Naruto…" Ha__ku moaned through several wet sounding coughs._

_Whirling around, Naruto felt his heart twist at the sight before him. Haku was little more than a ragged, quivering doll of torn flesh and blood-soaked clothing, somehow still alive and reaching for him with a__ shaking hand. Dropping his knife Naruto rushed to her side, tearing the pouch containing his medical supplies off even as he dropped to his knees beside her. But there was so much blood, so much damage that he could _actually_ see, that Naruto shuddered unc__ontrollably at how much he _couldn't_ see. And try as he might, he couldn't think of what to do._

_He stared at Haku in increasing horror as she convulsed before him, coughing up blood as she slowly, painfully lifted her head so her eyes –her tear filled, _wild_ eyes he noticed for the first time- met his own. Then she gently reached up to stroke his cheek, whispering "I'm sorry…" before planting a bloody, passionate kiss on his mouth. By the time Naruto could even think about kissing back or pulling away, it was__ too late. She slumped in his arms, dull eyes staring blankly at somewhere just above and to the right of his nose._

_"See, what'd I tell you? She was a tasty bitch wasn't she?" came that otherworldly voice from mere inches away._

_Naruto jerked his head up an__d found himself staring the fox creature right in the face, before it leapt at him, burying him in mass of flesh and teeth. And as the fox reared back to sink its jaws into Naruto's throat, he found something about terrifying creature to be different from __before._

_It now stared back at him with _blue_ eyes…_

* * *

Naruto struggled sluggishly to awaken from his nightmares, pushing through the extreme lethargy he seemed to be suffering from with the desperation of a drowning man. Indeed, even after he finally escaped into the realm of consciousness, Naruto found himself blind and his thoughts hazy. _'Where...am I?'_ Naruto wondered dully, struggling to remember what had happened even as he absently noticed that his senses seemed oddly dulled, something he knew was important somehow.

He remembered...he remembered Nami and...a bridge..._the_ bridge...it was important somehow, yet his addled thoughts shied from it almost...fearfully.

Trying to focus, Naruto recalled what happened next. He'd run...why he was running, Naruto didn't know but he remembered that...and that his chakra control had been shot to hell for some reason. Even without his control seal, Naruto couldn't remember the last time his control had been so bad. Yet despite that, Naruto had run faster than he'd ever been capable of before. In fact, Naruto thought he might have actually run _through_ a small tree without slowing, though he couldn't be sure.

Nor could he remember just how far or how long he had run, though he knew he must have passed out at some point, as the next thing Naruto could remember was waking up in a crumpled heap on the forest floor. As his mind slowly cleared, Naruto recalled wandering across a road and following it to a city…fuku something or other. He'd been in something of a daze, roving aimlessly through the city without so much as a Henge to avoid notice.

He'd eventually come across an out of the way bar, and recalling Genma and Anko's talk of "drinking away their sorrows" decided that he _really _didn't want to be able to think right then. He could remember starting to drink, but that was about it.

As the haze of unconsciousness finally faded, Naruto let out a pained groan as he finally registered the pain in his head, not to mention everywhere else. If this was a hangover, then Anko must be a damn masochist, considering how often she went drinking.

On the plus side, now that he was capable of thinking straight he now knew that he wasn't blind. He just hadn't gotten around to actually opening his eyes yet. Snapping his eyes open, Naruto immediately regretted it as a bright light blinded him and sent the throbbing in his head skyrocketing.

He cried out in sheer agony, not just because of the pain in his head, but because he instinctively attempted to roll away and cover his eyes, which caused the pain in the _rest_ of his body to make the pain in his head feel like a simple bump.

Naruto was just able to hold a scream in by biting his lip, though a pitiful sounding whine still escaped. _'Goddamn, how the hell does Anko make this look so easy? If thi__s is what a hangover feels like, I'm never gonna get drunk again…' _Naruto thought to himself miserably as the pain finally receded to more tolerable levels. It was only when he cautiously opened his eyes a second time that Naruto realized he wasn't alone.

There was a woman sitting by his bedside –almost directly in front of his eyes now- with an apologetic look of worry on her face. "Good morning, my name is Shizune." She greeted softly, much to Naruto's appreciation.

He returned her greeting with a piteous moan, the nagging sensation that he was forgetting something all but being overwhelmed by the full scale war –complete with explosions and ridiculously large Summons- going on behind his eyes. _'I wish Kurenai were here…I wouldn't even complain about her b__abying if it made this even a little more bearable…' _Naruto wished idly, only barely paying attention to the woman as she continued apologetically. "I'm sorry about the pain Naruto, but you seem to have an unusually high tolerance for Konoha's standard painkiller, and we don't have any oth-"

_Konoha._ The moment Naruto heard that word, it was as if his mind threw off the lingering haze of sleep and drink and snapped into razor sharp focus as he finally placed that nagging sensation. He was in an unknown room, in an unknown city, with an unknown woman –Shizune- who not only somehow knew his name, but was affiliated with Konoha. His entire body tensed in spite of the pain, and Naruto quickly assessed the situation –bedroom, at least second story, one door, two windows, single woman, approximately Kurenai's age and height, shoulder length black hair, kimono and fishnet shirt so common among ninja, no visible weapons- and picked out the most effective way he knew to kill someone quietly with his bare hands, all in the blink of an eye. Then he was throwing himself at the kimono clad woman with a snarl of "How do you know who I am!?" coming briefly to his lips before being replaced by a cry of pain as he tumbled off the bed and collapsed into a writhing ball of agony.

What little thought Naruto could commit to anything but the pain he was in was certain that he was a dead man. Particularly when Shizune dropped to her knees next to him and rolled him onto his back -sending another wave of pain jarring through him- before extending hands bright with green chakra towards him. Naruto made one last, desperate attempt to escape via Kawarimi. Even with his body screaming in pain and his control seal burnt out, Naruto almost pulled it off.

Then those glowing hands connected with his chest –which he was just noticing was wrapped in bandages- and escape was the last thing on his mind as an odd, soothing sensation rapidly spread out from where her hands were. If Naruto had to compare the feeling to something, it would be the sensation of cold water on a hot day, or a hot shower after a long day's work. It was just…_soothing_.

As Naruto no longer found himself attempting curl up into a ball and die –though his head was still killing him- he became aware of the woman carefully, yet firmly helping him back into the bed. "You shouldn't move much in your condition, Naruto." She admonished sternly. "Most of your ribs are cracked to some degree or other, and you have several _broken_ bones as well. You need to lie still as much as possible until we can give you more treatments."

Taking that all in with some shock, Naruto couldn't help but wonder aloud, "All of that from a _hangover_!? What the hell happened last night?"

The woman looked distinctly ashamed as she muttered, "More like _who_ happened last night…"

* * *

Tsunade was surprised when she walked in for her turn watching over Naruto, only to find the boy already awake, and apparently speaking with Shizune. "How's he doing?" She asked with perhaps a _touch_ more volume than she should have considering how drunk he'd been the night before.

Despite herself, Tsunade couldn't help but cringe with just a tinge of guilt when Shizune shot her a disapproving glare. Then she promptly sent her apprentice a glare of her own. It didn't seem fair that Shizune would take the brat's side over hers. Granted, Tsunade _was_ the one who put Naruto in his current condition, but _he_ was the one that tried to grab her with a bloody hand. And Tsunade was honest enough with herself to admit that she was being just _slightly_ vindictive to the boy for making her feel so…_helpless_. Her pride demanded at least a _little_ retribution…setting aside the whole knocking him through a wall thing.

For his part, Naruto was too busy burying his head under his pillow with a pained groan to notice their brief exchange of glares.

"Other than the fact that he's awake rather than in a _blunt trauma induced coma_," Shizune somehow managed to growl disapprovingly without raising her voice. "his condition hasn't really changed. Well, that and the hangover."

"Oh God…someone kill me…" Naruto groaned miserably as he pulled the pillow from his head. "Wait a minute, _blunt trauma_?!"

"I _said_ it was an accident…" Tsunade grumbled with a defensive shrug to her apprentice before turning her attention to the bedridden Uzumaki. "Don't tell me you don't remember what happened last night?" she asked with a hint of anger. Bad enough that _anyone_ saw her in such a pitiful state as last night, but if she had to actually explain what happened to him, she'd probably explode. Her pride simply couldn't stand it.

The kid stared at her through squinty eyes for a moment, before drowsily saying, "I…remember you…you were in that bar right? You sat next to me…but that's about all I can remember. What the hell happened?"

"You got shitfaced drunk for starters." Tsunade deadpanned. "Probably your first time drinking too, considering all the coughing and gagging you were doing." She ground her teeth before continuing, only to surprise herself as a boldfaced lie fell from her lips. "And then, in your drunken stupidity, you got grabby with me. Needless to say, I didn't like that, and you went through a few walls as a punishment."

Tsunade was able to keep her face fixed in a relatively annoyed expression as Naruto stared at her in shock –ignoring Shizune's own look of surprise at her deception, which thankfully went unnoticed by the kid- as the teenager gaped like a fish for a few moments. Tsunade was actually somewhat interested in how Naruto would eventually respond to her accusation, though it seemed she'd have to wait to find out as his gaping turned to yawning, followed by drifting off to sleep with startling speed.

Glancing at her apprentice Tsunade wryly asked, "This is your doing I suppose. What did you use to put him to sleep?"

"Just the Tanuki Neiri Jutsu. It's for the best that he sleeps until we find a painkiller that actually works on him." Shizune answered simply before frowning at her. "Why did you lie to Naruto like that?"

Tsunade grimaced at the thought of the oncoming scolding her apprentice was about to give her, before gruffly stating, "You know why."

If anything, Shizune's frown deepened at that. "I know you didn't want to admit to your…condition. But was it really necessary to make Naruto think that he assaulted you?"

"That's not what I said!" Tsunade objected quickly, only for Shizune to shoot back, "You told him he groped you. What you intended doesn't change how that comes across."

Shrugging uncaringly, Tsunade muttered, "It just slipped out. He'll get over it. At worst I'll tell him I was drunk too and hitting him was just reflex, alright?"

"You seem to be accidentally hurting him a lot." her apprentice sighed before rising from her seat with a stretch. "I'm going to see if I can find some painkillers that actually work on him. Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine." She grumbled as she sat down in the seat next to Naruto's bed, knowing that asking for some sake was unlikely to go over well right now.

As Shizune walked away, Tsunade found herself studying the scarred teen lying before her. She was admittedly rather curious as to the degree which his healing seemed to leave him immune to Konoha's standard painkiller. Was his healing even more advanced than she'd originally thought? Or more disturbingly, had he simply been exposed to enough of the stuff to build such immunity?

And those scars…whether received in battle or not, they were far too deliberate. For the first time since she left Konoha, Tsunade actually regretted not keeping in touch with what was happening back home.

* * *

The first thing Naruto noticed when he next regained consciousness was that he felt _far_ better than he had the last time. His headache seemed to have gone away completely; the light no longer blinded him, and best of all he no longer wanted to curl up in a ball and die. That was definitely a plus.

A quick glance around the room also revealed that he was alone for the time being, which gave him a chance to take stock now that his mind wasn't cluttered by pain and panic.

He didn't appear to have been moved in his sleep –which didn't change much seeing as how he didn't know where he was in the first place- but that still left him the problem of being in the custody of two women who were connected to Konoha somehow or other. That much was obvious simply because they knew his name, _and_ they not only knew what Konoha's standard painkiller was, they carried some of it with them.

Mindful of the last time he tried to get up, Naruto slowly sat up, immediately noticing that while he didn't feel much pain; his body didn't feel right at all either. He'd dosed himself with enough painkillers in the past to realize the women had apparently found one that worked on him. That could be as much a problem as a benefit, as while not be able to feel the pain was letting him move, his movements and reaction times were going to be shot to hell.

Pulling the blankets away from him, he studied the bandages covering him carefully. The bandages were centered on his torso for the most part, so whatever that blonde woman had done to him, it must have been over quickly enough that he didn't have time to put up much of a fight. On top of that, the bandages –which were wrapped far more carefully and competent than he had ever been capable of- were clean, so if he had bled at all the women must have changed the dressings while he'd been unconscious.

Another glance around the room had him swearing angrily when he spotted neither his clothing nor any of his equipment and weapons. That would make his escape quite a bit harder, especially when he was injured and drugged to an unknown degree.

Cautiously swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Naruto carefully levered himself to his feet. Pain or no pain, Naruto could ill afford making any noise by stumbling or, God help him, falling on his face.

Once on his feet and fairly sure he could walk, Naruto carefully, slowly, made his way to the door, where he lightly braced himself before closing his eyes and Listening.

He could hear the blond woman speaking, presumably to the other one -Shizune she said her name was?- about picking up some things from the market. But hers was the strangest shopping list Naruto had ever heard of. Ingredients that could be made into a soup -probably- followed by a long list of things Naruto had never heard of before, though he recognized a couple of herbs and plants, so that might be what she was asking for.

After a moment, he could just make out the sounds of someone -presumably Shizune- leaving the other room, with the sounds of only a single person's breathing remaining. The fact that he could barely hear her movements settled whatever doubts he might have had as to whether or not at least one of those women was a kunoichi. No civilian could have moved so quietly.

Quietly taking a deep breath to try to keep calm, Naruto silently counted to sixty to give whichever one had left time to get far enough away -assuming they weren't simply in another room- before wrenching the door open and rushing in with all the speed his drugged body was capable of.

Thankfully, the blond woman was the only one present and even better, she was facing away from him. Rushing in, he reached an arm under her right arm and back behind her neck while simultaneously wrapping his other arm around the front of her neck.

It was imperative that brought her down as quickly and quietly as possible, not only because he didn't want her to get out an alarm or cry for help, but also because she had claimed to have knocked him through a wall. No mean feat, even for a ninja.

Then he was suddenly holding nothing but air. Naruto's eyes went wide and he had just enough time to realize that he'd never even touched her, before he felt two fingertips jab him in the back of the neck. Surprisingly, the force of the jab was barely enough to make him stumble, and Naruto leaped forward towards the kitchen counter in search of a weapon of some kind.

Or at least, that's what he intended to do. Instead, his right leg leaped up to the left like some kind of jig while his left foot tried to execute some kind of half-assed pirouette that sent him tumbling to the floor, even as his left hand damn near slapped himself in the face. Confused and more than slightly afraid, Naruto tried to flip back to his feet, only to spasm strangely as seemingly random muscles through his body twitched without rhyme or reason.

"What the hell did you do to me?!" He snarled in barely controlled rage as his panic and anger battled it out. Particularly as he felt an odd tightness in his chest that he was sure meant he had just hurt something or other in his numbed body.

The blonde woman just smirked at him as she pulled a chair up next to his flailing body and took a seat. "It's called the Ranshinshou." She explained smugly.

Naruto glared as he struggled to translate -and he hoped, figure out how to reverse- the jutsu._ 'The...body pathway derangement? What the hell kind of Jutsu is that?'_ Naruto growled lowly as he tried the Genjutsu Kai. Not that it helped any.

"You're wasting your time." Tsunade pointed out as she propped her chin on her hand. "It's not a Genjutsu. It's a Medical Ninjutsu. A rather high level one at that, so you might as well give up on trying to break it."

Naruto swallowed dryly as he struggled to push down the rising terror as her words sank in. "Did...did you...paralyze me?!" He would have screamed in terror if the increasing tightness in his chest didn't leave him struggling to breathe.

The woman didn't look so amused any more as she moved to kneel beside him while her hands blurred through a series of seals and then laid a glowing palm on his chest. "Easy, easy..." She murmured in a calming manner. "Just breathe normally. You're not paralyzed; I just scrambled your nervous system temporarily."

Naruto stared at her uncomprehendingly, though he was grateful for whatever it was she was doing as he found it easier to breathe again.

She must have seen his confusion as she continued her explanation. "The human body is controlled with electrical signals from the brain. By transforming my chakra and giving it the properties of electricity, I can create an electric field that I can project into someone else. As soon as my strike lands, electricity is poured into the enemy's nervous system, severing the signals and deranging their body control. The target's body moves in any way, except how they want it to move." The woman explained in a way that made a surprising amount of sense to him. "It's only temporary." She stressed as she carefully and –shockingly- _effortlessly_ picked him up off the ground and carried him back into the bedroom and laid him down in the bed.

Once she had settled him in to her satisfaction, she sent him another smug smirk -though this one was somehow...softer than before. "You know, you should be grateful. The last time you tried to touch me, I knocked you through a wall."

Naruto scowled -more appalled and embarrassed than anything else- at the reminder that he had apparently tried to grope the woman standing over him. An attempt to subtly try to move proved pointless when rather than move a single finger, his left leg kicked up into the air.

"Please try not to move." The kunoichi sighed in exasperation. "If you keep thrashing like that you're going to end up hurting yourself more."

"What the hell do you want from me?!" Naruto snarled, clinging to some shred of calm and control despite his complete helplessness.

The woman stared at him with a neutral expression before replying with a simple, "What do you mean?"

"Don't give me that shit!" He growled before he could think better of it. "I know you're from Konoha, and since you know who I am and I don't know you, that means the Old Man must have sent you! Though he should really pick his agents better." Naruto sneered condescendingly.

The blond kunoichi...did not react the way he'd expected. She just raised an eyebrow and asked, "Don't you know who I am?"

Naruto blinked in surprise, before responding with a frown, "No, should I?"

His confusion only grew as the kunoichi smirked again, though this time it was in obvious amusement. "No, you shouldn't. After all I...retired, before you even knew the meaning of the word ninja."

"Retired?" Naruto asked with a quirked eyebrow. It wasn't unheard of for a ninja to survive long enough to retire, but...well... "Aren't you a little _young_ to be retired?" He didn't know why, but Naruto could swear he'd just found a way on to the woman's good side. How exactly he didn't have a clue, but he figured it couldn't hurt.

Shaking her head as if amused, the kunoichi made a single seal which...didn't seem to do anything. She must have noticed his confusion because the woman explained, "I just released my chakra inside you. Now the Ranshinshou isn't in effect anymore, so you'll eventually recover full control of your body."

"Oh..." Naruto muttered in utter confusion, not quite trusting this woman but at the same time failing to predict or make any sense of her. "...so...uh, who exactly _are_ you?"

"Tsunade." The older blonde introduced herself in an odd manner, as if expecting him to say or react in some specific way, though Naruto wasn't sure why. After a moment's thought, he just wrote it off as her being used to being compared to her namesake or something similar. After all, Naruto remembered there being three or four girls in his Academy classes with the name Tsunade –it was one of if not _the_ most popular name for girls back in Konoha- and they were often compared negatively to the legendary kunoichi herself. This Tsunade was probably no different.

"Thanks, Tsunade." He muttered slowly, still wary of being so helpless but not really sure what else he could do but stall for time. The last thing he wanted was for Tsunade to do something _else_ to him, and it was going to be hard enough to escape as it was. With any luck, he'd recover the ability to move before they dosed him with any more painkillers and he could slip out unnoticed.

"Don't mention it." Tsunade replied with that same weird look on her face. "Seriously, Shizune was pissed enough when I used you as a battering ram, I'll never hear the end of it if she finds out I used the Ranshinshou on you."

Naruto blinked in surprise, and then felt a surge of annoyance as her meaning sank in. "So, what, you're just looking after me because _Shizune_ is angry at you for hurting me in the first place? And you only undid your technique so I wouldn't _tell on you_?"

"I wouldn't go _that_ far." Tsunade snorted wryly. "After all, _I'm_ the one who felt just the _slightest_ bit guilty about hitting you. _And _I'm the one that decided to bring you back to the hotel to recover. Shizune wouldn't have even glanced your way otherwise."

Naruto frowned in confusion. Why the hell would _she_ feel guilty? If what she had told him was true, then _he_ was the one that got drunk and started _groping _her –something that brought a hint of redness to his face just thinking about. Well, that and a smidgeon of regret that he couldn't remember it. Naruto didn't think he was pervert or anything, but come on, what teenager _wouldn't_ want to remember that?

Forcing down a blush at the thought, Naruto breathed deeply, striving to remain calm and not embarrass himself any further by shrieking in utter terror at his helplessness.

_'It shouldn't be _too_ hard.'_ Naruto thought to himself as he closed his eyes, feigning tiredness. _'Hell, if I can stand in front of the Old Man while surrounded by Anbu, than pretending to be asleep in front of some random woman I met in a _bar_ should be easy.'_

...

...

Of course, it probably helped that he was currently physically incapable of moving even if he wanted to. Breathing deeply, Naruto almost choked as he heard movement, his eyes snapping open to see...Tsunade. Specifically, Tsunade making herself comfortable...by removing her green haori and revealing a grey, kimono-style blouse with no sleeves, held closed by a broad, dark bluish-grey obi that matches her pants. That wasn't so bad. Her blouse being closed quite low, revealing her sizeable cleavage, was. Particularly with the way she was currently stretching.

...Could he really be blamed for being distracted from his previous fear and helplessness?

Hell, he was only human.

* * *

**Translations:**

Tanuki Neiri Jutsu=Forced Sleep Technique

Ranshinshou=Body Pathway Derangement

Did I miss any?

* * *

**AN:** Originally there was about six thousand more words to this, but a 17000 word chapter was a little much, so I broke it off here.

My God, Tsunade's character gave me a ridiculous amount of trouble. I'm still not sure how well I pulled it off. Apparently, I'm much better at writing an "overprotective Naruto's mom" Tsunade than anything else. I'm trying to write her as a very proud, very passionate, very determined woman, who's been fighting a losing battle with depression and alcoholism, being on a downward spiral for over a decade. So underneath all that cynicism and abrasiveness, are some vestiges of the woman she once was.

Naruto's issues are still fairly complex. He's still dealing with guilt/anger over Haku, he still has no idea what he is, but now he has some new suspicions that paint the people closest to him in a very negative way. Writing his paranoia while being helpless and at Tsunade's mercy, without leaving him unable to function was just as difficult as writing Tsunade's character, and I seriously doubt I pulled this off. As for why he's still unsure about the Kyuubi, keep in mind not only how chaotic the situation was when he "found out", but that unlike Canon -or most fanfics really- there was no one there to explain anything to Naruto. Hence why he still isn't sure what's going on. That last line was for irony and humor, not as a sign that Naruto has already figured out/come to terms with his "inner demon".

As always, all reviews, suggestions, criticisms, etc are welcome, **though I you already reviewed the chapter before this one BEFORE this one was posted, then please remember to use a guest review, otherwise I won't receive it**.

Peace, Vaan.


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